The Next Great Adventure
by suchsweetaddiction
Summary: Years after the war, Mia Potter's 'saving people thing' is still very much alive and Death has no compunction in using this fact to its own purposes by offering a deal to its Mistress that she will never be able to refuse. MOD!Fem!Harry. AU!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto.

Hi, everyone!

This story is the result of my attempt to resume my writing after many months of hiatus. It was supposed to be the continuation of my other story ''A very powerful woman'', however my muse led me to a different direction, thus here we are.

A few warnings before starting:

This is an Alternative Universe; with MOD! Female! Harry Potter.

With the exception of the prologue, the entirety of the story will be in the Naruto World.

Updates will be sporadic and the following chapters will be most likely much shorter than this one.

English is not my first language, so I apologize in advance if there are any misspellings. I proofread the chapters but I have no beta.

It's rated T to be on the safe side, because, let's face it, with ninjas and Death itself involved, sooner or later someone'll die.

Have a good read and tell me what you think!

* * *

''Life is one of God's greatest journey, but Death is the next great adventure.'' – Chris Cole

* * *

To say that Camellia 'Mia' Lily Potter was disenchanted with the Wizarding World was to put it very mildly.

At barely twenty-two years old, the most famous witch of the magical world – the Girl Who Lived, the Chosen One and most recently the Saviour of the Wizarding World and Defeater of the Dark Lord – was at her endurance limit with the senselessness, prejudice and sheep mentality of those she had fought so hard to protect and given up so much for to save when she was still just a child.

At first, after the war was over and the Death Eaters and other supporters of Lord Voldemort were caught and brought to justice for their crimes committed while on the Dark Side, Mia was hopeful that she at last would be able to live a normal life and that their world would change for the better and learn from their past mistakes: Muggle-Born witches and wizards would be finally seen as equal to Purebloods; magical creatures would gain more rights and be less discriminated by society, were some of the things that needed to change in her opinion. She was aware that those changes couldn't possibly occur quickly, after all one could not change a country's long-standing narrow-minded mentality in a matter of days or even months, but if some people in position of power started to fight for it, surely that would happen eventually even if little by little. She had been optimistic for that future.

However, Camellia couldn't possibly be more wrong.

The laws regarding Purebloods and Muggle-Borns barely changed at all in the last three years, as the Ancient Families continued on having all the political power and for all they may have claimed while at war on the side of the Light (at least the most of them), almost no one was in a particular hurry in changing their _status quo_ now that the danger had passed and they were at peace once more. In fact, it seemed, at least to Mia, that they had quite quickly forgotten their own words from those dark times and were more than willing to repeat the same errors of their ancestors. Not to mention that corruption was still rampant as well, even if at this time the interested parties were more discreet about it.

 _Short term memory, indeed_ , the young witch mused sarcastically often.

The prejudice against magical creatures continued, or rather it seemed to have worsened if it was possible. The past actions and decision of siding with Voldemort in the war was the swift answer and excuse thrown at anyone who dared condemn others' opinions that magical creatures didn't deserve any kind of rights, in fact, they would self-righteously and boldly point out, if they hadn't had so much liberty in the past they would have never dared standing against the Ministry and the Good and Light Side.

More often than she cared to admit, Camellia wondered cynically what had she been really fighting for, aside from ridding the world of Voldemort and his cruel and homicidal ways. Because except for the nasty Dark Wizards freely doing whatever they wanted during those very dangerous and horrible months, she couldn't really find that many differences from then to now. The world still divided itself between dark and light, wrong and light, and the simplistic mentality that 'if you didn't fully agree with one side's view then surely you were against them'. There was no middle ground to speak of and after the war only someone without any self-preservation whatsoever would ever admit any kind of connection to the losing side. Any preached promise about the betterment of their world quickly fell to the way-side after the war was won and the sheep could return to their standard way of life – as in burying their collective heads figuratively in the sand and pretend that everything was alright – up until the next time that those same troubles interfered with their lives once more.

However, the most aggravating fact of all was that everyone seemed to believe that Camellia Potter's life was not her own anymore – or rather, her opinion never mattered before, so why would it change now?

As an heiress to two Old Pureblood Families, it was her duty to find a worthy wizard (preferably a Pureblood, some would say) and not waste any time in marrying to continue her family's line. Of course, as she was a woman with barely any political knowledge at all, it would be her husband who would then take over her Seats at the Wizengamot and the one at the Board of Governors at Hogwarts. Naturally, her opinion would be irrelevant, and the then-Lord Potter-Black (if he didn't have any other noble title before the marriage) would vote as he saw fit.

No one had stated it directly (not that it was actually necessary, mind), but they all seemed of the same opinion that while she was good enough to save their ungrateful hides – or rather, it was her upmost duty to do so – it didn't matter, she clearly wasn't intelligent enough, cultured enough, to meddle in political affairs and have a say in the future of the Wizarding World.

Obviously, Mia didn't share this same vision and refused to bend to their misguided expectations anymore.

 _Fighting a war and killing a Dark Lord was more than enough, thank you very much. Self-righteous, self-serving, greedy, ungrateful bastards._

Logically, if Mia had found someone that she liked, she would have no problem in settle down and marry, though she would never give up control of everything that was hers by right and blood only because others said so. Not that she had any intention of trying her hand at politics at the moment, but it was simply the principle of the matter. However, she had become rather jaded and distrustful of anyone who approached her after the war as she could never tell if they were genuinely interested in her as a person or cared more for her wealth and status, and she wasn't willing to sink to the level of casting _Legimency_ at anyone she met only to prove their words.

What really surprised her, though, was that this opinion was mostly shared by her surrogate family, the Weasley's. Especially Molly Weasley was very vocal on the idea that the young witch should marry as soon as possible, and her attempts at pairing her up with Ron were all but subtle, even though there have never been any kind of attraction between the both of them. Not that Ron looked the least bit against the prospect, mind. In fact, it appeared that Mia was the only one who didn't seem at all interested in that supposedly wonderful union among the read-heads and their friends and associates.

Molly Weasley didn't falter in the face of Camellia's less than enthusiastic responses though, and as the time passed by, she became more and more devoted in her crusade of uniting the Weasley's and Potter's together.

The only ones that could have actively support her against those ludicrous prospects were Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and her best friend Hermione Granger.

However, Neville and Luna were travelling around the world (with no plans of returning to Britain in the near future) searching for rare magical plants and animals respectively and their letters were random at best. Hermione had left Magical Britain two years after the war to Australia when the intelligent witch finally admitted to Camellia that she couldn't stand the Pureblood's bigotry against Muggle-Borns anymore and decided to live closer to her parents. Presently, she was happily working at the Ministry there and often claimed that it was the best decision she had ever made. They both wrote each other periodically but Camellia knew their friendship was different now and felt they were slowly but surely emotionally distancing themselves from each other.

Camellia passed her days mostly studying subjects that took her interest and that she hadn't had the time to before and practise her spell casting to keep in shape. She had felt an increase in her magical power ever since the Final Battle and she had theorized that it was quite possibly because of the Horcrux disappearance from her scar. She believed that ever since that bit of foul magic had been trapped inside her, part of her own magic had permanently fought to keep the soul piece separated from her as much as possible and thus unreachable to Mia until the Horcrux had been destroyed.

Her new interests were quite diversified; such was the case of Ancients Runes and Magical Wards. Surprisingly, now that there wasn't someone who loathed her looming over her shoulder and breathing down her neck, expecting her to fail at any moment, or a spoiled prat tossing extra and unwanted ingredients into her cauldron, she had acquired a liking for potions as well. Sure, she would never be a true Potions Mistress, but she could now confidently brew any household and the most common medicinal potions without a problem and when she felt daring, she tackled the more complex ones such as Veritaserum, Polyjuice and others.

Even more startlingly, the Dark Arts was something that gained her curiosity, if nothing else to learn what she had been really fighting against in the war and to be better prepared if she ever encountered them in the future again. Sometimes, she couldn't help but thinking that if she had been more knowledgeable about spell casting and more all-around prepared in the past, perhaps she could have found the Horcruxes and vanquished Voldemort sooner and thus less people would have died. She tried her best to not spend much time in that topic though, as she had learned that 'what if' would never help her moving on and solve anything besides turn her thoughts dark and depressing.

However, shockingly, Mia discovered that not all the so-called Dark Spells were 'evil'. Sure, many of them were downright frightening and nasty; but there were some that if used with restrain and for the right reasons were not that bad actually. The ancient – and most certainly illegal – books that she had found on the large Potter Library, hidden away from everyone of not-Potter blood, explained numerous examples where a now-considered illegal Dark Spell could be used in the benefit of a magical condition or dire situation – such was the case of the Imperius Curse, to stop someone intent of committing suicide or killing innocent bystanders in a skirmish – or to kill livestock more humanely – such as the original creation of the dreaded Killing Curse – just to name a few.

Other spells could be barely considered vile in Camellia's humble opinion; their only censuring quality was the use of blood in the case of Blood Magic, which she had shockingly found out Dumbledore's famed blood wards around Privet Drive belonged to this category.

Granted, with enough imagination one could do despicable deeds with such spells, but one could argue that such was the case with almost any Light and Neutral Spell. Mia was sure that if someone wished to, one could kill a person with a Levitation Spell without much effort if near a cliff or a very high place, and she had never heard anyone say that that spell was dangerous; in fact, that spell was one of the first taught at Hogwarts.

Mia suspected that the Ministry had decided to deem them so to avoid the masses using them to their own protection and profit and thus against the Government's interests (at least the most of the spells). One of the first things she had learned about the Magical Government – especially the British one – was that they would do everything they could to ensure that they were the ones that had always the upper hand and banish anything that could help the population stand up strong and independent from them was absolutely not past them. The decision of sending Umbridge to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts and later her position as High Inquisitor in Mia's fifth year was one clear case of the Ministry trying their best at maintaining their _status quo_ and silencing and weakening their opposition, which at the time had been the Girl Who Lived and anyone who dared to believe in her 'preposterous lies about the returning of the Dark Lord'.

Thankfully, Mia decided to not ever tell another soul about her studying of the Dark Arts. She would not put it past the sheep of the Wizarding World to call her the next Dark Lady or such outrageous title when she did not bend to their expectations of what a proper Heiress and Lady of two Noble and Ancient Houses should do. In fact, she even avoided thinking about it. With her luck, she better not jinx it.

Still, Mia found herself more alone than ever since entering the Wizarding World. She rarely left her house these days if she could help it. She even came to dread visiting the Burrow and was permanently searching for excuses to refuse the Weasley's invitations without blatantly seeming to be avoiding them. Whenever she stepped a foot in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, she had to constantly answer questions from everyone passing, asking with different levels of subtlety and fervour about her personal life.

She hated it.

She was grateful for the two Potter house-elves who had taken care of Potter Manor until she had inherited the estate, money and other properties when she had turned seventeen (though she only was informed of that after the war). The creatures took care of shopping and the random unwanted mail that she received from some hopeful suitor or 'concerned' witches or wizards that condescendingly demanded she fulfil her duty as a single young lady to the future of the Wizarding World (as if she hadn't already done enough for them!). The first ones were glaringly answered with ' _No, thank you!'_ and the others were summarily disregarded and tossed in the fireplace without further thought.

Thus, Camellia Potter was more than disenchanted with the Wizarding World's population.

For an impulsive second she had pondered leaving Magical Britain behind and move into the Muggle World. That idea was promptly dismissed though. What she couldn't really stand anymore were the people and not the World itself. She still loved Magic as much, or perhaps, even more than when she first discovered it.

But what she could really do though?

Wherever she went, the witches and wizards recognized her and the mounting pressure to find a suitable man to marry was turning her insane. And her hermit behaviour was not much healthy either, she admitted to herself.

If only she could find and live somewhere people have never heard of the Girl Who Lived and be herself without the ludicrous expectations of others, she would be happy. She missed having a goal to work towards for – hell, she almost missed those yearly adventures at Hogwarts, dangerous and trying as they had been –, helping someone in need, as she discovered that her 'saving people thing' was still alive and kicking; helping someone who really needed unlike the people in the Wizarding World who wanted Camellia to do their jobs out of laziness and self-righteous greed and entitlement.

Her recurring frustrating thoughts came to an abrupt halt when Camellia felt some foreign energy start to appear in front of her desk in her study, where she had been for a few hours that summer afternoon, looking without seeing at the old Warding book in front of her.

She promptly stood up and released her Holly wand from her hidden holster on her arm, mind and body at the ready to fight as the space in front of her became darker by the second. The Manor's wards were at full power and she had not received any alarm that they were being breached, thus this intruder, whoever it was, was not some regular wizard visiting to chat and drink afternoon tea. (Not that she had received any guests at her home in more than two years anyway.)

She tried to discern what the strange energy exactly was without success. It was similar to magic but not really and gave an ominous and chilling feeling not unlike a Dementor but thankfully without the cold and her worst memories replaying in her mind's eye. As the dark figure became clearer, a stray word jumped to the front of her mind, chilling her to the bone.

 _Death._

Indeed, after another second, whatever process had been happening ended, and the figure standing in front of Mia couldn't be considered any other than Death personified; skeletal hands, huge scythe, long black hooded robes and all.

The young woman tensed even more, as she unconsciously recalled the Deathly Hallows which she had possessed for a short time before Voldemort's permanent demise.

 _Impossible!_ She denied in her mind. _I deliberately lost the Stone in the Forbidden Forest and left the Elder Wand in Dumbledore's tomb. Anyway, this should be only a story! A legend!_

''Greetings, Mistress,'' the tall and dark figure spoke, its tone without inflection. The voice was rough and aged with time.

For a few long seconds, the young woman stared speechless at the figure as she tried to process what she had just been called. Hysterical laughter tried to leave her body but she valiantly refrained. Now was not time to be panicking!

The figure was seemingly content to wait in silence and without moving for Mia to regain her bearings around her and answer its polite greeting.

''Impossible… I can't be… It should be just a story!'', the witch sputtered at last not that much coherently, falling gracelessly in her previous seat in her shock.

''I assure you, Mistress, this-'' the figure gesture carelessly with the arm not wielding the huge and deadly weapon, its tone still unaffected, ''- is quite real.''

''But…'', she took a deep breath and tried again. _You're a Gryffindor, dammit! Show that reckless courage that you're known for,_ she admonished to herself. ''Are you saying that the story of the Deadly Hallows was not a legend after all?''

''Yes, Mistress,'' the dark figure acquiesced promptly, carelessly shifting its huge scythe in a non-threateningly manner as it regarded her. ''The Artefacts that I created a few centuries ago have without a doubt chosen you as the first Mistress of Death.''

Mia finally gathered her wits enough to think articulately about this unexpected situation and quickly decided that it was just her luck to achieve something that no one else had been able to do before. Even without trying.

She could already hear what the Magical Community would say if they ever heard about it and promptly winced at the pictures that conjured up in her mind. _A Dark Lady who played with the dead; the Unspeakables would be salivating at the mere idea of studying my body and magic!_

She restrained a harsh shudder at that last thought. She had no misconception that the Ministry – or anyone else for that matter – would care a wit that she hadn't chosen any of this. As it was proved again and again, their memories were rather short and their lack of individualistic thinking for themselves, the masses would quickly demand for her imprisonment as they cowered inside their homes in fear of what she could do to them if they ever dreamed that Camellia Potter could have somehow, someway, mastered Death.

''No one will never know if you don't divulge that information,'' Death stated in a manner that Mia supposed it was intended to be reassuring but it fell rather short. Somehow, she suspected that the Identity didn't have any experience with emotions of any kind and thus it didn't really know how to reassure a human being, though, she gave it points for trying anyway.

Mia didn't even bother being disturbed by the apparent reading of her mind. She doubted that a Being as powerful as Death Itself would have any difficulty in perceiving her thoughts even with her somewhat average Occlumency barriers. In fact, she was almost thankful for it. This way, she wouldn't need to voice her disturbed and barely articulate thoughts out loud to be understood.

''Why?'', the witch demanded when she felt a little stronger in her mind, opening her hands that she had unconsciously fisted in her momentary panic over her thoughts and spreading them over the top of her desk. ''Why appear now?''

Camellia didn't need to enumerate all the questions that that simple word contained. Why after all these years did it appear before her and announced that the Hallows were not a simple children's tale after all? Why did it come to disturb her somewhat peaceful life? Why did it matter that she was the Mistress of Death? For the last four years, she hadn't noticed any different powers in her magic; surely that title didn't mean that much?

Apparently Death saw every one of her questions, doubts and worries even before she, herself, could process them properly in her mind and was quick to answer.

''I have not come before now because simply you were not ready,'' the figure said in its typical monotone, belying its words, adding a seemingly careless shrug for good measure. ''One needs more than reunite all three Hallows to be the Master of Death. I was the one who created them one time when I was admittedly rather bored but I am not at all naïve to believe that there would not be many humans who would try their best to gather them and force their will upon me. I held no wish of being subjected to greedy, self-centred and hungry-power mortals, thus I created a failsafe, so to speak. To completely master Death, one will have to possess no wish of ever control me.''

Mia was gaping incredulous at the figure's explanation, not that she cared at the moment.

''Are you saying that it's only possible to be your Master by accident?'', she asked when she finally recovered from the latest shock. She felt the abrupt urge to laugh hysterically. These things only happened to her; Potter Luck and all that.

She recalled all that she had read about the Deadly Hallows and the numerous situations in which wizards fought – most of the times – to the death for their achievement. To think that no one ever stood a chance of attaining the desired title, Death really was beyond cunning and extraordinary. Not that there was any doubt, really, but it finally explained something that she had wondered before: why would a powerful and transcendent Identity such as Death ever subject itself willing to any human?

''Why, yes,'' the figure answered nonchalantly, as if all the violent situations and consequently deaths It caused through the centuries with its momentary whims of creating powerful artefacts was nothing to It. Which, Mia mused, it totally was. It was _Death_ after all.

''You mentioned that I was not ready before,'' Camellia said thoughtfully, moving on. ''Ready for what, exactly?''

This time, the dark figure didn't answer immediately. The witch felt that she was being studied for a moment, the scythe twirling lazily in its skeletal hands. She was not really sure, though, as Its hood covered all its face (if there was even an actual face down there).

''I have been observing you for the last four years,'' the figure responded at last, its weapons still obliviously shifting at its side. ''As you are the only Mistress of Death that ever existed, there isn't really a job description that you must follow and in the great scheme of things there was nothing that changed when you acquired your new title. Thus, I decided to let you live your life peacefully for the time being. However, I realized that for all that you tried to occupy yourself with subjects that interested you over the years, you were not happy. For some time, in the beginning, you were at least content; you had a few friends and you were enjoying a World without war. This last year, however, you have become more and more isolated and almost every interaction with your fellow wizards and witches is such a dismal experience that you avoid leaving this house at any cost.''

Camellia listened silently to Death, even as she unconsciously agreed to every point It made. There was no need to deny, after all everything It was saying was true and something that she thought about rather often.

''Thus, I have a proposition to you.''

Suddenly, It straightened, the scythe stopped its previous idly moving and It looked at the witch straight in the eyes (or so it seemed, as It, you know, more than likely hadn't any eyes itself to speak of). Not that It really needed it, but Mia took it to mean that they were finally arriving at the main point of this conversation. She unconsciously straightened as well and waited with almost baited breath to what would happen next. She felt that whatever it was this proposition, the young woman was sure that was life-changing and irreversible. Anything that an Identity such as Death demanded of a human, never mind Its own Mistress, was certainly not a daily favour.

''As it is common knowledge, Death is universal, thus it is everywhere: in the Earth, in the Oceans, in the Air, even in the outer space, as Stars and Planets eventually die as well. What you perhaps don't know is that there are currently many different dimensions in existence; anyone who blindly believes that this Planet is the only place with living beings is a naïve fool. Death exists in every single one of them.''

Mia was entranced as the same time she started feeling a bit of trepidation. Who would have ever thought that one day she would hear Death Itself talk about different dimensions? However, with the direction that this conversation was going, she had a niggling suspicion that she would soon learn more about it than perhaps she ever wanted to know.

''Usually each dimension is self-sufficient and there is absolutely no reason to interfere in its existence. Their fate is already written and, no matter what humans claim, there is very little they can really do to change the outcome which is pre-set in that world. However, there are a few times when some unforeseen event happens –which it's always by accident, remarkably enough – against all expectations which throws everything out of the planned outcome and into an unwanted path that usually terminates with the end of human life and consequently of the world itself. Humans have several names for this occurrence: Apocalypse, Armageddon, Judgement Day. Subsequently, when that happens, it upsets the flow of the rest of the Universe, which will bring undesirable events for the other dimensions; which, in turn, will bring unwelcome trouble for the Gods and other Immortal Identities to solve, myself included.''

Even though Mia was avidly soaking everything Death was saying, that foreboding she had started feeling before soon grew to great proportions as it started to sink in her mind that Death would be asking her to perform some sort of task to avoid the End of All Things in an unknown world, which in turn would prevent problems for Deities that she hadn't even known existed. Contrary to what she had been expecting, there was the feeling of excitement and adventure that she had felt all those years ago that had her heart pumping and adrenaline coursing through her veins; it was making her feel more alive than she had felt since the end of the war.

''In a particular world, much different from this one, exists a supernatural energy vital to all living beings, be it humans, animals or plants. This energy is called chakra,'' Death continued explaining, eerily like a professor teaching an interesting subject. ''In the case of humans, everyone has more or less the same amount of chakra when they are born, with the exception of the ones who possess a bloodline limit, which is roughly explained as a characteristic power inherited from a particular family. This particular ability, also known as _kekkai genkai_ , can be numerous different gifts, ranging from special affinities to natural elements, different type of ocular powers to superior healing abilities, and all in between. Technically, there isn't really an absolute rule that cannot be broken with adequate skill and dedication; there are even ones that can achieve some sort of immortality, but not quite. Rather similar to magic in that regard, actually. In this world, there are two types of humans living more or less in harmony: the civilians, which are self-explanatory, and the shinobi, which are the military forces of any main country in this world.''

''Shinobi as in ninja?'', Camellia blurted out, flabbergasted.

''Yes, rightly so'', Death promptly concurred, always without inflection.

Mia tried to wrap her mind around the astounding idea of chakra-wielding ninjas and the fact that in this unknown world apparently there was no need for secrecy from such exceptional skills unlike this world where the Magical Community lived in constant fear of being discovered by Muggles.

''Until a certain time, this world existed as it should be, however, if nothing will interfere, in a moment of utter misery and remorse, a fourteen years old shinobi will take his own life, unknowingly triggering unexpected vital events which will bring forth the end of the world much sooner than it was foreseen to happen.''

Death paused for a moment in its exposure allowing Mia to digest the information. She knew what the figure was doing. It was playing with her 'saving people thing' when It mentioned a teen killing himself in a moment of anguish. This point reminded her of herself after Sirius' death; if she hadn't had good friends who supported her back then, she was sure that she had easily succumbed to that desperate act herself. That was something that she wouldn't wish to anyone, even less to a teenager, and would do anything in her power to prevent it and Death clearly knew it.

Although all this brewed in her mind, she didn't say anything out loud and Death chose not to acknowledge her thoughts for the moment either. Instead, she decided to ask about the unwanted events that would occur.

''These 'vital events' that you mentioned, what are they exactly?''

''A war that will eventually kill most humans before the main instigator of the opposite faction will project the _Infinite Tsukuyomi_ , which is akin to an extremely powerful illusion and mind-controlling spell, on the moon and trap the rest of the humanity in a dream, with the misguided belief that will save mankind from destroying itself, absolutely ignoring the fact that it will also rob free will from the entire world,'' the figure stated blandly. ''Needless to say, that plan will not end as expected. Something will happen that will interfere to the moon's orbit and as a result crash ruthlessly against the Earth, destroying the two planets in the process.''

Camellia gasped in shock, unable to really comprehend the magnitude of such a frightening disaster. No matter what happens in the world, there is always the knowledge in the back of one's mind that the sun and the moon shall rise the next day and every day after that until the end of the times. To imagine that that ultimate occurrence is nearer to happening in that world than it should be, was a rather quite terrifying thought.

''And this will all happen if that boy dies?'', Mia asked, after a while, voice unsteady with all the implications running through her mind. ''Is he the one that needs to defeat the other side or something?''

''Actually, no, in the greater scheme, this boy himself is not that really important. However, his young brother and his teammate will be,'' Death responded, idly twirling its scythe once more. ''To understand the magnitude of his role, you need to know what happened to the boy before he decided to kill himself. Itachi is his name and has been considered a prodigy since a very young age. After witnessing war and death at only four years old, the boy considered himself a pacifist. However, his family and village's expectations forced him to become a shinobi at the age of seven-''

''Seven?!'', Camellia shouted outraged, unable to imagine such a young child as a hired soldier.

''-and his wishes were put aside for the interest of the village,'' Death continued as if It hadn't been interrupted. ''As a peace-loving shinobi, Itachi was willing to do anything to protect his village and that sentiment was put to the test when after many years of turbulent relations between his Clan and the village, he was given an ultimatum by the Village Elders when it was discovered that the Uchiha Clan planned a coup d'état. Either he killed all his clan members – which were more than five hundred, by the way – or all his family would be publically executed after being deemed as traitors to the village. That was a losing situation either way and Itachi opted to kill his family himself avoiding besmirching the Clan's honour, with the only condition being that he be able to spare his young brother, Sasuke, who he loved more than the village itself. Thus, the Uchiha Clan was massacred in one night and Itachi was deemed a traitor and missing-ninja by the Hidden Village in the Leaves, also known as Konoha. Since that fateful night, Sasuke has been nurturing his hatred for his brother and training incessantly to one day hopefully defeat Itachi and reviving the Uchiha clan to its former glory.''

Mia was practically crying at the end of the narration. That poor boy had suffered greatly and endured burdens much heavier than her own had ever been. Imagine being forced to murder your own family for the well-being of your community. What had he felt after staining his hands with the blood of his family? Just for a second, she tried to imagine being forced to kill any of her friends and promptly felt queasy and light-headed.

That rationality reminded her too much of the Greater Good that Albus Dumbledore used to always spout about. Sure, she had followed the old man's instructions to defeat Voldemort, but that didn't mean she had liked it.

The young witch tried to calm herself taking deep breaths. There was still more to this story and she didn't really know if she could stand to hear it all without turning into a sobbing mess.

''After a while of wandering the Elemental Countries always on the run, Itachi will reach his breaking point when he's forced to fight against a team of Hunting Ninjas from Konoha whose mission is to capture him,'' Death kept on explaining after It had politely waited for Mia's to compose herself. ''It is this moment which will be the turning point of that World's fate. If the boy's succeeds in dying, there will be no hope for salvation.''

 _Death is really laying it thick_ , Mia thought somewhat sourly. She could practically feel her 'people saving thing' and her reckless daring rear their heads and urge her mind to help the poor boy as Death waxed on about that World's tragic fate.

''You mentioned a younger brother and a teammate?'', she reminded the figure before her. She could feel her resolve harden itself inside her heart but she wanted to know everything before she verbalized any opinion on the matter; her days of rushing into danger without any information whatsoever were hopefully over.

''Yes, these two boys will be the two main characters, if you will, in the oncoming events that will decide the future of their world. In fact, there is a prophecy-'' Camellia groaned and cursed under her breath at that word, it seemed that no matter what, there was always one of those to screw someone's life, ''-roughly claiming that Naruto, the teammate of the younger brother, will bring peace to all nations or sow destruction and death throughout the Elemental Nations, directly depending on Sasuke Uchiha's actions and relationship between the both of them.''

''So, if I understood correctly,'' she started thoughtfully after processing everything, ''the death of Itachi will have an even more negative impact in his brother's life than it already has and thus change the course of his and Naruto's future relationship that, in turn, will translate on the deciding factor of the end of that prophecy.''

''Roughly, yes,'' Death agreed nonchalantly. ''There are many more details to this, however for now that's all the important bits.''

''But why? If Itachi's death will bring so many unwanted events, why don't you, or someone else intervene before it's too late?'', Mia wanted to know. If the boy's survival was so vital to the future, why had Death come to her instead of doing something Itself? Surely, it would be easier and faster that way.

''Alas, I, or any other deity for that matter, cannot directly interfere in Mortals' matters,'' the figure said almost regretfully this time, or perhaps it was only her wishful thinking. ''It is one of the absolute rules that govern the true Immortals of the Universe. However, there is nothing wrong against my own Mistress doing it in my stead as you are clearly still human.''

''Ah,'' she simply said, understanding immediately Death's 'dilemma', even as her mind buzzed with all the rushing thoughts. Then something else It just said caught up with her brain. ''Wait! What do you mean _still human_?''

The figure shifted almost sheepishly, even though it was clear impossible seeing that apparently It had no emotions, and stated in a very blasé manner. ''Didn't I mention it yet? You, being the Mistress of Death, cannot really die in like a regular human.''

Mind blanking for a long moment, Mia opened and closed her mouth several times without making any sound. This latest bit of news seemed to be her breaking point after all the shocking information she had received just in the last half-an-hour. Then, abruptly, her brain reset itself and she found herself almost screaming her disbelief.

''Cannot die… What do you mean, I cannot really die? I don't want to live for ever! Oh Merlin, what am I going to do? If they discover that I somehow turned myself immortal, I'll be locked and experimented upon faster than I can say Quidditch!'', she shouted in her blind panic, forgetting everything else. ''Why, oh why this always happens to me? Didn't I suffer enough? Didn't I give already enough to the world? Why Fate and Death and whoever else likes to screw with my life?''

After that, her panicky protests became almost unintelligible. Death, it seemed, was content to wait it out and let its Mistress relieve her stress in any manner she wished to.

When it appeared that Camellia had calmed down somewhat, Death decided to explain its latest statement.

''After the Deadly Hallows claimed you as my Mistress, your body didn't change in any way; it ages like any other's human's and I am certain that since then you have felt any pain or ache as it should be normal when you hurt yourself or you are tired,'' the Figure explained patiently, completely unconcerned with Mia's recent bout of hysterics. ''You will bleed if your skin is cut and feel sick if something is wrong with your body health-wise, however you will never die from it even when any other human should be dead in a matter of minutes or instantly. I wish to point out, though, that no poison shall ever affect you and that is nothing to do with me. When that basilisk almost killed you when you were twelve and you survived with Fawkes' tears, you instantly built immunity to any other poison or venom in existence because, as you should know, basilisk's venom is the most deadly of them all, even in other worlds.''

Recovered somewhat from her distraught daze, Mia took in this new information with deep breaths and tried to convince herself that what she was hearing wasn't that so bad after all. _It could be worse, I could be frozen in my almost eighteen years old body for all eternity and then I would surely be a freak of nature._ She decided not to even think about what seeing people she cared about die and she could never follow them would do to her psyche.

''But if I age normally, what will happen when my body is old and weary? Will I live like an old woman for eternity?'', she desperately wanted to know. She couldn't really decide what was worse: being young forever or ageing until she was old and grey and then white and live until the end of the world in a weak and wrinkled body.

''You will not live for all eternity, Mistress,'' Death countered with a shake of its black-hooded head. ''Perhaps, I did not explain myself as clearly as I should,'' It added almost to itself in a lower tone, appearing somewhat confused that Mia hadn't understood its clarification as it had been intended. ''What I was trying to say was that you will never die until your rightful time to leave the living world; meaning that you will only be able to properly die by natural causes – which will be from old age – and never through another's interferences.''

Camellia's shoulders drooped slightly at that, feeling a huge amount of relief. She would still die when it was her time. As she thought more about it, she supposed that this 'little detail' was not so bad. Sure, it was somewhat unnatural and disturbing but it was a very positive point nonetheless. _Imagine all the things I can do without fear of being killed or fatally sick. As long as I don't end trapped somewhere unpleasant against my will to be studied by Unspeakables or worse, my life will be much more interesting._ She decided not to think what could possibly happen to her when she finally properly died. She was fairly certain that that occasion was still very far from happening and, more importantly, she wasn't sure that she would be able to stand any more disconcerting and surreal news at the moment.

''Alright,'' Mia said at last, after her mind calmed itself down and she could think rationally once more. '' _Hypothetically_ , what should I have to do if I accept your proposition?'' She stressed that word, trying to convey that she hadn't still fully agreed to anything, at least out loud. As Death somehow knew what she was thinking, well, they were simply empty words and the young witch was only stalling her official answer. After all, what had she really had to lose? Her few friends were moving on with their lives and the rest of the world was becoming more and more insistent and unpleasant towards her opinions and actions as the time passed by. ''I'm not really sure that I could be of much help, though. Firstly, I don't know much about that world. Secondly, you mentioned that there isn't magic there but instead chakra; will be my magic even work there? Thirdly, how am I supposed to save this boy? I don't really know any advanced healing spells and any potions that I can give him are almost useless and most likely deadly if I don't know for sure what it is the problem exactly and what potions should not be mixed together. Fourthly, what language they speak in that world? From the names you mentioned, English is not their main language if they even speak it all.''

She stopped flinging questions at the dark figure when her need to breathe made itself urgently known; feeling as she had been channelling Hermione in one of the muggle-born's bouts of great curiosity that needed to be satiated as soon as possible.

Camellia idly called one of her house-elves for some iced tea to quench her thirst and hopefully helping her calm down some more. Even if she refused for now to admit out loud that she was very much interested in Death's offer, her mind was already whirling with questions and plans as she felt the long-forgotten feeling of excitement thrumming through her veins at the prospect of doing something adventurous and worth-while with the great bonus of being able to help someone in need of her.

''If you accept my proposition to save this young man's life, I'll give you all the knowledge necessary to wield the Deadly Hollows to its absolute powers as it is your right as their due owner.''

For a moment, Camellia thought her questions had been ignored but then the figure continued.

''As I said before, Death is universal and omnipresent, thus it knows every language ever spoken by any living being in the course of all times. As you receive the Hallows' powers, you'll gain the knowledge to every language ever spoken or written. To know all the other new powers that shall be yours through these three artefacts, you shall naturally have to take time to discover them and then practise until you master them. For all the exceptional and powerful gifts they offer you, if you don't train them, then they shall be as useless as any other spell that you have never mastered.''

Mia sat there, forgotten tea at her elbow, listening enthralled to what Death was offering her. She couldn't really wrap her head around the fact that she, who had never studied any foreign language except Latin to aide her in her spell casting, would be now able to speak and understand any and all language that ever existed; and not only in her world, no, every dimension had their own and she would know them all.

The fact that the Deadly Hallows were more extraordinary than they already were – if a powerful and unbeatable wand, a stone which called the dead to the living plane at will and a cloak which could hide oneself from everything, including Death, were not already impressive in their own right – and offered many more powers to their owner than she had never dreamed of was something that she could barely believe in her mind. Excitement, fascination and eagerness bloomed inside her at the prospect of discovering and training new extraordinary magical powers that the average witch or wizard would never dream of possessing.

''All your questions shall be then answered with the Hallows' mastery,'' Death said, its ever-present scythe twirling idly in its right skeletal hand. ''To sweeten the deal, I'll give you two exceptional boons. One it's this pair of earrings.-'

The aforementioned jewellery appeared instantly in Death's bony left hand and the figure reached out for Mia to take them. She reluctantly did so and felt a brief chill as her skin came in contact with the figure's bones. The pair appeared to be made of the blackest stone she had ever saw and their shapes were different from one another.

''-The one shaped as a star shall hide your internal magical system from outsiders, as there is at least one clan in Konoha that will otherwise find with only a look that you possess something other than chakra and it's best guarding that secret to yourself as it would bring many unnecessary problems. The one shaped as a crescent moon will protect you from any possibly kind of mental intrusion as there is, too, at least one clan in Konoha that is very skilful in a similar technique to _Legimency_. As it goes without saying, it is imperative that no one discover the true extent of your powers as the Mistress of Death. They are from my own scythe and once you put them on, they will be impossible to separate from you.

''The second boon is something that never existed before. Usually, if one is not a deity, any type of communication between dimensions is simply impossible. However, as I know you are now fairly talented in the art of potions brewing, I'll create for your use only a trans-dimensional bottomless bag in which you can receive all the magical ingredients needed for your potions and other miscellaneous. Only your two house-elves are allowed to know of and use it. You will simply need to write a list of what you need and they will purchase them and then send them to you via the bag. Your aptitudes in potions will aide a great deal to start a business once you are settled. I am fairly certain that you will be not disappointed. However, if any question still remains, I'll be more than willing to answer them when we next meet.''

At this point, Death seemed to have completely abandoned her little denial game and spoke as if Mia had already clearly accepted the proposition.

 _Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, I will do whatever it is necessary to save that poor boy. Not that these new extraordinary powers didn't sweeten the deal. I have nothing to lose anyway. Everyone seems to have some goal in their life and I feel like I'm just wasting away in this house without any aspiration for the future. At least there I'll feel like I can be myself again without others' misguided views and I'll be able to help a suffering child without the weight of fame and expectations in my shoulders. It's a win-win situation._

''When we next meet?'' Camellia repeated in confusion, as she absentmindedly put on her new earrings and felt a momentary shift in her magic before it thrummed pleasantly and subtly inside her body once more.

''Yes, you will need some time to master the Hallows and it is not possible to do so in two or three days. There is too much information to absorb and it's most unwise to receive it all at once; the human mind will simply not be able to without breaking down,'' Death explained with barely a shrug of its bony shoulders. ''The time when Itachi will try kill himself will be in three months. You'll have this time frame to master your new powers and settle all your affairs. Another important point that I must make is that you will share a blood connection to the late Yondaime Hokage to aide in your quest. Conveniently, all other family members are dead with the exception of his son, Naruto.''

''The same Naruto from the prophecy?'', Mia probed, even as she admitted that being related to someone who once had been the leader of Konoha could only help her with her plans.

''Yes, the one and only,'' Death concurred. ''This way, you will be able to have contact freely with the boy without outsiders' interferences, or at least not directly, at any rate.''

''Will I be able to bring any possessions?'', she asked after some more thought. The idea that she was leaving alone in three months not fazing her in the least now that she started to come to terms with the fact she was leaving her world and everything she knew behind.

''Of course,'' the figure promptly responded. ''You can bring anything you want; books, clothes, jewels, cauldrons and such. You only have to put everything in a magical trunk. Only a piece of advice though: exchange part of your fortune in gold bars; wizarding money is enchanted to be invisible to muggles who are not aware of the wizarding world and you will receive much more money when you exchange the bars for Ryous, which is the monetary currency of that world.''

Camellia nodded absentmindedly in agreement, her mind already working on what she intended to bring with her. She would need to ask for an overall account of all her vaults at Gringotts to know exactly how much money she owned and then decide how much she would need to bring with her and a more than reasonable amount to be used in her future purchases of potions ingredients and possibly other tools such as caldrons, ladles and the like via house-elves. She needed to decide if she should sell any properties and shares of the various businesses she owned at the moment which she had inherited through the Potter's and Black's families.

''Will I be able to return to this world someday?''

''Do you wish to return eventually?'', Death countered in its ever-present non-inflected tone.

The young witch opened her mouth to automatically say that 'yes, she wished to return', only to stop and ponder honestly the question. If she really thought about it, she admitted that if she left this world and started her new life somewhere else, she was certain that she would never return. Sure, Mia would miss her friends and everything she had always known, but if she could build something worthy in that new world, find new friends, start a family eventually (and wasn't that a thrilling thought? Possibly find someone to share her life with that wouldn't have Mia question every step of the way if he genuinely cared about her instead of her fame?), she would never abandon it all to return to some place where she hadn't ever been really happy in the first place.

''No.''

And that was that.

After that, Death offered a farewell to its Mistress enlightening her that she would receive all the information needed about the Hallows when she was sleeping every night and that they would meet again in the morning of the 15th November and left in the same fashion that It appeared, leaving the Deadly Hallows on her desktop.

As Mia touched them, the Hallows all seemed to melt in her grasp before disappearing. Instinctively, she abruptly knew that the Invisibility Cloak would hide her with barely a thought calling for it; the Elder Wand would appear in her hand as if summoned when it was needed and the Resurrection Stone would materialize as a necklace around her neck when she would ask for it.

All in all, Camellia promptly forgot her previous feelings and gloomy thoughts towards the people in the Wizarding World. She had a journey to plan, new powers to master and a suffering boy to save. The self-serving and ungrateful bigots of her world weren't worthy of her thoughts anymore.

She couldn't wait to see what this new world would be like and hopefully start a better and more interesting life than the one she would be leaving behind.


	2. Chapter 1

AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited this story, you made me very happy.

I just want to say, please don't get used to me updating this quickly. I just got a day off and my muse was working full-time. **This is the exception to the rule**. I absolutely suck at following self-dictated schedules and can be a major procrastinator.

A few people have asked about Teddy Lupin and all I have to say in my defence is that I completely forgot about him. For the sake of this story, let's just assume that Tonks never got pregnant.

Other questions about Naruto and Sasuke and their relationship with Mia will be answered as the story progresses.

This chapter will be mostly filler but it is needed to show what happened between the last chapter's time and Mia's arriving at the Naruto World. We'll meet Itachi and some Konoha shinobi and Mia's newfound outlook to life and motherly instinct.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

''You begin saving the world by saving one person at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics.'' – Charles Bukowski

* * *

Chapter 1 - Welcome to the Elemental Nations

(Several months later)

''Gentlemen, your next mission is A-Ranked,'' the Sandaime informed solemnly the three Jounin standing before him in the Hokage's office.

The old man eyed each of the carefully chosen shinobi for this assignment as he puffed on his customarily pipe: Hatake Kakashi, Elite Jounin, and one of Konoha's best Ninjutsu experts; Maito Gai, also Elite Jounin and the best Taijutsu expert; and last, but not the least, Gekko Hayate, Special Jounin, and one of the village's best Kenjutsu experts.

''Your duty will be to escort one Namikaze Tsubaki and her young son from the palace of the Fire Daimyo to Konoha. The Daimyo himself has requested this mission, demanding a team with the best shinobi available, in light of this lady's identity and previous actions that saved his son's life from certain death only a few weeks ago.''

At this information, Hatake Kakashi straightened his back even further and lost his previous and ever-present seemingly bored expression, piercing his superior with an intense dark eye. The Hokage didn't blame the young man in the least for his sudden deeper interest; he, too, had had to take a moment to allow the unexpected name to sink in his mind the first time he had read through the mission request and personal letter sent by the Fire Daimyo himself to the Hokage. After all, as far as anyone was concerned, the late Yondaime, Namikaze Minato, had been an orphan and no other family had ever been known.

''Namikaze, you say, Hokage-sama?'', the silver-haired ninja asked in an almost choked voice. His two teammates remained silent but their expressions urged the older man to answer the question as well.

''Yes, Kakashi,'' the Sandaime confirmed with a sigh, before once more pulling on his pipe and looking directly at his subordinate. ''It seems that the lady in question has claimed to be the younger sister of the Yondaime Hokage and the Daimyo had seen to it that this startling information is proven absolutely true. The DNA results which I ordered and received yesterday are incontestable, Tsubaki-san is indeed Minato's half-sister from his father's side.''

For several moments there was only silence as the three younger shinobi in the room absorbed this unanticipated news with varying degrees of disbelief.

''Yosh!'', Maito Gai cried out excitedly, pumping his fist and fire in his eyes. Unsurprisingly, he had been the first to shake off from the shock and was seemingly ready to start their latest mission. ''When are we to depart, Hokage-sama?''

Sarutobi inwardly appreciated the green-cladded man's swift reaction and resilience to anything that was thrown at him, almost always with high spirits, and prayed vehemently that he would never change.

''Tomorrow at dawn. All pertinent information is on this scroll,'' he replied, pushing said document forward on his desktop. ''When you return, bring your escorts directly to me before taking them anywhere else. Dismissed.''

Hayate stepped forward to receive the mission's scroll, seeing that Gai was too busy declaring his usual phrases about 'Youth' and Kakashi seemed that he hadn't still recovered from the bombshell that the Hokage had just thrown at them.

With a nod, the old man dismissed his subordinates as he puffed away lost once more in conjectures and plans for the future concerning a certain unforeseen woman who he had yet to personally meet.

* * *

Recently renamed Namikaze Tsubaki, once known as Camellia Potter, looked on fondly at the small child at her side, as she thought about everything she had accomplished before and since she had arrived at this new world.

The three months before her disappearance from the world she had always known of had passed too quick and too slow at the same time for Camellia. She had trained her new found powers intensively every day with a single-mindedness that she had only possessed a few times in her life. It had been worthy, though. She had thought often that if she had owned that kind of power when Voldemort had still been alive, the Dark Lord would have quickly met his timely demise and perhaps the war would not even have started. However, she tried not to think much about it.

She had mastered her abilities at least to a point that she shouldn't have any major problems in her new life. If she found someone who could go eye-to-eye in a full battle and defeat her – without any underhanded action beforehand or catching her completely off-guard – she shuddered what this hypothetical foe would be capable of. She wasn't under any misconception that she couldn't be very dangerous if she wished so. Sure, she had morals – perhaps, less than she had when she was seventeen – and wasn't a malicious person by nature but the kind of power that she now held was something frightening by anyone's standards.

Needless to say, she had no intention of ever disclosing everything she could do to anyone. Her sense of self-preservation had grown by leaps and bounds since she was a teenager, thank you very much. Even though no one could truly defeat her in a fair fight, they could make her life much harder than it needed to be and she had no desire of living a life hiding her true self from the world; it was one of the reasons that she had travelled dimensions without hesitation, after all.

Mia had exchanged more than half of her money in gold bars and decided to leave the rest of it and some shares in business to continually provide for her future purchases via trans-dimensional bag. The goblins weren't too happy with her withdrawals but they couldn't really do much about it. She had already paid for the 'Dragon Incident' damages and had thrown some goblin-made weapons in for good measure that she had found in her family's vault, so she really didn't care much about what they thought. And she would never have to see them again, anyway.

Potter Manor had been magically locked down, so no one could enter. As she was the last Potter alive, neither the Ministry nor anyone else would be able to set foot in until she died, no matter what they tried to do, which she had in good account it wasn't for a very long time. The same concept stood to the use of her Wizengamot and Board of Governors seats. As for Grimmauld Place, most likely, Draco Malfoy would get it after some political manoeuvre, but she really didn't care what would happen to it as she hadn't ever really liked the place.

Mia had written farewell letters to all her friends and the Weasley's, saying that she was leaving the British Isles behind and would travel the world for an indefinite amount of time and she wouldn't be able to receive letters. Hopefully her friends wouldn't worry too much about her. Everyone else in the Magical Community could think whatever they wanted to as she couldn't care less.

She had met Death at the appointed date and was given the promised trans-dimensional bag that she had been so curious about. The journey through dimensions had been quite smooth; she had expected something a little more turbulent. One moment she was standing in her study with her magical trunk full of her most precious and necessary belongings, shrunk and safe in her jeans' pocket, the next it seemed like she was falling in the darkness before she straightened and found herself standing in the middle of a forest.

Promptly, Death had led her to the dying boy's side and she hadn't lost a second's time in doing everything in her power to save Itachi's life, dousing him potions and casting spells with an efficiency almost rivalling Madam Pomfrey's.

After much thought and research during those three months, Camellia had decided that Itachi had suffered too much in his short life. (She wasn't sure if the boy could ever be anything close to happy after the despicable task forced upon his young shoulders, mentally his previous actions for the good of his village had to have been overwhelming and devastating, as seen by his ultimate decision of suicide.) She believed that she had found the best way to help Itachi live happy and easily further her plans along at the same time. She would give the boy a de-age potion and then make it permanent with an obscure spell that she had found in the Black library after searching for weeks and, quickly after that, blood-adopted him, making him for all purposes her biological son. The only step in which she had briefly hesitated was when she had to _Obliviate_ him. After talking about it with Death, It assured her (in its usual unassuming way) that it would be alright.

In the body of a small child, the one previously known as Uchiha Itachi had maintained most of his facial features, almost everything that stated that he was an Uchiha was still there: the pale skin, the black hair that reminded one of crow feathers and most of his bone structure. However, the young witch was glad that his previous very pronounced tears-troughs were absent and his eyes were now the same sparkling green eyes of Mia's, only a shade darker.

The boy didn't inherit her magic, as apparently the human body only could support one supernatural energy at a time and he already had a fully developed chakra system. However, there was still a little of magic bit there, which would make him a Squib in her world, and there was the possibility that, one day, he could pass this power to his children instead of chakra.

Camellia, herself, hadn't changed much with her trans-dimensional travel and perhaps she wouldn't even soon notice any difference if Death hadn't pointed it out to her. As she conjured a hand mirror, she could see that her hair was still red, however it was now almost a blood-red, more similar to the Weasley's than her previously darker mahogany-coloured one; her brilliant green eyes shone almost eerily at her, a side-effect of being the Mistress of Death, most likely; and the only remarkable difference that she could find was that her bone structure and chin shape had changed somewhat to, she suspected, be more alike to Namikaze Minato's own. She never considered herself a very vain woman but, all in all, she was happy with what she was seeing.

Thus, not long after Camellia Potter had arrived at the Elemental Nations, she had officially – read, magically and very much illegally, not that anyone would ever be aware of it – changed her name to Namikaze Tsubaki (which meant Camellia in Japanese) and had acquired a four years old son who she had named Ichigo, though she called him Chi-chan more often than not.

The boy didn't have any recollection from his 'past' life thankfully and as far as he understood in his very precocious mind, Tsubaki was his biological mother. The only other relative he had ever known was Tsubaki's grandmother who had recently died of old age, which was their motive to be travelling at the moment after Uzumaki-Kurosawa Kokoro's funeral in the Land of Tea. About his father, the little boy only knew that he had been a Konoha ninja called Uchiha Yoshiro, who had died shortly after Ichigo had been born.

Even though Tsubaki had just come to know the small boy, she already loved him as her own son. His very curious, bright and gifted disposition – completely opposed to the little she knew of his older self – had caught her heart and never let it go. She was of the humble opinion that he was the cutest boy she had ever met!

One essential thing that she had done even before moving from the place Itachi had become Ichigo, after being completely healed, was protecting the boy in all manners she could possibly think of. One might think she was being paranoid if they knew what kind of spells and charms she had covered the boy with, however anyone who might know had never set foot in this world and couldn't possibly imagine how dangerous this place could be, so she summarily ignored such thoughts. She had added a necklace with a runes-engraved gemstone for good measure – the kind that was invisible and impossible to take off, as she wasn't taking any chances.

With Death's advice, they travelled towards the capital of the Land of Fire where the Fire Daimyo resided. It informed Tsubaki that the powerful man's youngest son would be the target of an assassination attempt by poisoning and that the boy would die without Tsubaki's expertise in healing and antidotes. That would be when Tsubaki would play her role to the maximum and ingratiate herself to the ruler's family, and casually letting slip her blood connection with the late beloved Yondaime to the Daimyo's wife (who secretly was a sucker for any kind of heart-wrenching story about lost family and loved ones), weaving a grand tale of tragic family deaths and lost loves.

The discreet and liberal use of an obscure allegiance potion to help things along was a given. After the war and Tsubaki's 'training' with the Deadly Hallows, she had come to understand that sometimes she would have to do things that weren't morally correct by most people and society's standards but she would learn to live with it if she wished to achieve her plans smoothly.

After that, Death had guaranteed, she would be set and her eventual entry in Konoha would be easy.

 _Which_ , she mused with a smile as she absentmindedly listened to Ichigo cheerfully chatter besides her, _happened as It told me it would. Nothing beats having an all-knowing being giving secret and valuable information that one would never know otherwise._

At the moment, the both of them were waiting for their shinobi escort to arrive to make their journey towards Konoha.

They had spent the last month as guests of honour in the Daimyo's palace after saving young Akira from certain death as a show of profound gratitude from the royal family, and Madam Shijimi, the wife's ruler, was beyond delighted with all the young woman's family secret's (magical) creams that Tsubaki had offered her and her daughter, which she had confided happily, were miraculous and invigorating for their skin.

After the old madam had gotten all the interesting details from Tsubaki's personal life – her parents' tragic deaths in a fire, when she had the tender age of fifteen months, and her lover's equally tragic demise at the hands of enemy shinobi, just after she had given birth to her son –, the woman took it upon herself to help Tsubaki in any way she could to reconnect to any part of her late brother's life. So, it was after many conversations with her venerable husband that one day she announced happily that the Daimyo himself had granted her entry in Konoha without need to pass through the usual channels – read, shinobi investigation and bureaucracy and everything the ninja did to confirm that someone wasn't some kind of threat to their village – with diplomatic immunity, meaning that she wouldn't need to answer to the Hokage or other authority figures in the village, like the Civilian Council, but directly to the Daimyo himself, if she would accept a secret mission that the man didn't trust in giving to the Konoha shinobi.

Tsubaki had raised her eyebrows questionably at that. What possibly could she do – with the little the man knew about her capabilities, at least – and what matter did he believe that Konoha shinobi couldn't be trusted with? In the end, they were the Daimyo's own military force to command as he saw fit, within reason, of course.

Madam Shijimi had quickly explained in a very hush-hush manner after promising her to secrecy. Apparently, the younger brother of the Daimyo had sired a boy seven years previously before he had married his actual wife. The royal family was aware of the child's existence (even though no one else should be, or at least they hoped so) and for the most part they didn't interact with each other, apparently happy to ignore the boy's life. The child's father was the only exception as his wife hadn't been able yet to give him any children to the man's dismay and he doted on his illegitimate son in a very discreet way.

The problem came when recently the boy's mother secretly had sent a message informing that the boy had been kidnapped. After some private and inconspicuous investigation, the Daimyo had been informed that this case wasn't an isolated one and that apparently, since at least two decades previously, many children who had shown some kind of promise intellectually and/or for the ninja arts had disappeared from Konoha without a trace, never to be found again. The report had ended with the suspicion that someone high-up in the shinobi force was the one most likely responsible for these abductions.

At that, Tsubaki understood their dilemma. The Daimyo didn't know who to trust as his own military force was implicated in some way and, with the clandestine allegiance potion working at full force, the ruler decided that she was the best choice to investigate the matter more deeply without fear of the information being used to blackmail the royal family, as she had no motives to do so, and with the certainty that Tsubaki wasn't involved in the case of kidnappings, at the same time not raising much suspicion because she was an outsider and officially a civilian and surely she would have no interest or even knowledge about this matter in the first place.

Without thinking much about it, the young witch had accepted the man's condition. For one, having diplomatic immunity was an exceptional advantage that not many people had ever gotten, and if what she had understood of the political workings of the ninja villages, she was very happy to not have anything to do it and become a pawn in their games and shows of power. For other, she would never refuse helping a child in need. She tried her best to not think what fate had possibly befallen all those missing children.

(That night, if she hugged her new son more tightly to herself and didn't allow him to be out of her sight until the next morning, no one was there to point it out and she chose to ignore it as well.)

Good news received, the Daimyo himself proceeded to order an A-ranked mission to escort the small Namikaze family to Konoha, demanding the best team of their shinobi, after DNA tests had been completed and confirmed to the Hokage that, yes, the young woman's claims were incontestably true. The response had been a prompt one and it was why the both of them were now waiting in a back garden, near one of the secret exits from the palace for the shinobi team to arrive and escort them in their new journey.

Ichigo kept on prattling happily about everything he was excited to see in the ninja village, never noticing her mother's subtle confirmation that all his protections were still in place. She had added some new ones in the last month after she had momentarily panicked when she was informed that she should be careful with any Kumo and Iwa shinobi as they outright loathed the Yondaime and anything and anyone to do with him. For now, she was safe inside the palace but news travelled quickly and sooner or later there would be some kind attempt on their part against Tsubaki and her son's lives; which was one of the many reasons why the Daimyo had requested only the best Konoha shinobi for this mission in the first place.

The young witch felt them approach a few seconds before she saw them.

One of the perks of being Mistress of Death was that she could 'sense' anyone through their souls, which she believed was the best method there was. Once she met one, she would be able to always remember it and easily pick it among a crowd if she needed it. Generally, her awareness of souls was in the back of her mind, always there but not really paying attention to it until it was necessary. She had deemed it not unlike the clocks the Dursley's had hang up on the walls of their living room and kitchen: you knew they were, you could hear the ever-present _tick-tack_ if you payed attention, but usually they were easily ignored even it was silent all around you. She had thanked Death silently for it; she was sure she would become insane if she was forced to 'listen' to everything around her very quickly. In this state of unconscious awareness, she could feel anyone in a range of one hundred metres. If she tried deliberately to sense for a soul, her 'radar' could be extended up until around three-hundred metres and if she searched for a soul that she had previously met, her senses could go to almost a kilometre, if she tried hard enough and used a considerable amount of magic.

She had learned, through her past month of reading any book related to the ninja arts she could find ( _And gods, aren't I turning in a clone of Hermione with all this reading?,_ She had thought wonderingly), that there were shinobi capable of tracking someone else by their scent or even by their chakra signature usually, however those could be disguised or manipulated into someone else's. With one's soul, it was impossible to do so, or at least she believed it was.

 _Anyway_ , she mused, _it's not like anyone ever thought it was possible to be tracked that way, so it stands to reason that no one ever found the need to waste time and effort in rectify that matter._

The reason that she sensed the three souls approaching only seconds before they appeared abruptly a few metres from her and Ichigo was because they were very fast, like a blur.

Before leaving her world, she had thought that perhaps some more physical training was in order to better her speed and strength. She had practised with her new bo-staff, which actually was the Elder Wand, only a couple inches shorter than she was and practically indestructible, and found it easy to become proficient at it, even though she couldn't be considered an expert by a long shot. However, her speed and strength were not that much impressive by ninja standards if she didn't liberally use her magic to help her. She had already decided that she would remedy this matter as soon as she settled in Konoha, even though she wasn't really that enthusiastic about it, and the training-from-hell could begin.

As soon as he saw them, Ichigo held his mother's hand more tightly and leaned against her side, hiding his face from the newcomers. He wasn't afraid _per se_ , he hadn't simply encountered ninja before and for all that Tsubaki had tried to explain and his son's prodigious mind, that wasn't the same as seeing one (or in this case three) in the flesh for the first time. The boy eyed them silently with big green eyes in that patently manner of his that Tsubaki had learned was his way of trying to solve some kind of puzzle but chose to remain silent for the moment.

Tsubaki was more subtle in her assessment though. The ninja were all men and appeared to be around the same age – between twenty and twenty-five, she estimated – but their similarities ended there.

The one standing to the left of her had short brown hair that barely reached his chin, dark-coloured eyes and pronounced lines under them, which gave him an appearance of being recently sick. He wore what she believed was the standard Konoha shinobi outfit complete with a forehead protector, which he wore as a bandana, flak jacket and regular sandals. The only evident weapon she could see on his person was a katana tied to his back. His facial expression was an impassive one.

The one in the middle sported gravity-defying, silver hair, which seemed to have a will of its own as if the man had been recently electrocuted. The only part of his face that could be seen was his right dark-coloured eye, as the other one (which she felt it was foreign in his body but not really in a bad way) was covered by his forehead protector and his lower face was hidden beneath a black mask which seemed to go all the way down to his shirt under his flak jacket; the rest of his clothing was standard Konoha shinobi uniform as well. His posture was slouched, giving the impression that he was completely relaxed.

The last one, though, was the oddest, utterly different from his two companions. For one, he was smiling in a manner that would put Gilderoy Lockart to shame, when the other two were looking at her expressionlessly. He had black eyes and hair and the biggest black eyebrows she had ever seen, only second to Hagrid's. He wore some kind of spandex-green jumpsuit with his _hitai-ate_ fashioned as a belt, with orange arm- and leg-warmers. The last thing she thought about him was the instantly surety that he was loud. Don't ask her how she knew it; perhaps it was his fashion sense that would make him fast friends with some wizards attempting to wear Muggle clothing, or the air the man had about him – and no, she didn't use _Legimency_ on any of them, even though she could, however she didn't see the necessity to do so as she didn't feel threatened by them at the moment, beyond the point they were hired killers and would have no compunction in killing you if they had reason to. Anyway, she didn't use _Legimency_ to perceive their foremost intentions towards her person and she was happy to ignore everything else for now.

''Namikaze-san, I presume?'', the silver-haired one asked almost in a bored tone after the shinobi had eyed their client for a moment, appearing to relax further in front of her as he spoke.

''Yes, I am Namikaze Tsubaki and this is my son Ichigo,'' she answered politely. ''You are my escort to Konoha, I assume?''

''Yes, madam!'', said the green-spandex cladded one, in a tone that was not a shout but barely. He upped his smile, showing very white and straight teeth, and gave her a thumb up for good measure, making some kind of pose that seemed second-nature to him. ''I am Maito Gai, Jounin. To my right is Hakate Kakashi, also Jounin, and then Gekko Hayate, Tokubetsu Jounin. We will be most pleased to accompany you in this youthful journey towards Konoha!''

Each of the men nodded silently in greeting as their names were mentioned and she nodded politely to then in answer, before she saw them widening their eyes almost imperceptibly when they finally had a good look of Ichigo's entire face.

She understood their reaction.

Everyone believed that the only Uchiha's members alive were Uchiha Sasuke and the man who had murdered all his clan in one night, Itachi. To unexpectedly see someone who shared the distinctive features of that almost extinct clan would be a shock to the system. Ichigo's paternity wasn't discovered before now because she had lived the last month among civilians and for all that they claimed to know about shinobi, in reality wasn't that much as they were mostly sheltered from their dealings, at least in the palace, and as such many of them never encountered an Uchiha or if they had, never made a connection between the clan and the small Namikaze boy.

The shinobi took this new bit of information in silent, choosing not to comment on it and Tsubaki was more than happy to let them. When she arrived at the village, she would have many opportunities to answer any question about her life and her son, if she felt generous enough to do, because, hey, she had diplomatic immunity and could get away with everything, only short of murderer, and the Hokage or anyone else could do little about it.

''Are you ready to depart, Namikaze-san?'', Maito-san asked, still smiling, in a tone that Tsubaki suspected was his standard one, upbeat and loud.

''Yes, thank you for escorting us to Konoha,'' she said, remembering her manners, before kneeling down before her son. ''Chi-chan, did you forget anything in the palace? We can't come to retrieve it later, once we leave.''

Tsubaki was sure that the boy hadn't forgotten anything, but she asked anyway. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd receive some present from the many inhabitants from the palace when she wasn't looking. Royal family and staff alike adored him and she was thankful that he had never received anything harmful. The numerous protections cast upon him would never let him come to serious harm but it was good to know that her son was liked by all, anyway.

''Yes, mum. I put everything in my trunk as you told me to,'' Ichigo replied almost exasperatedly, which was absolutely cute in a four-years-old. He had been asked that same question not ten minutes ago and had given an identical negative answer.

What she could say? She liked to double-check everything and she was not worried, or frantic, or anxious, or… Yeah, she was confident that everything would be alright and they would not be most certainly attacked by vengeful ninja thirsty for her blood when she least expected.

 _Oh, who am I kidding? I'm sure something will happen. Just because I travelled to another world in another dimension and changed my name, that doesn't mean that the infamous Potter luck ran its course. I should be more wary if something doesn't happen at all! At least, I'm already used to this kind of luck! Ok, calm yourself before you make such a bad impression in these shinobi that the first thing they report to their Hokage is that I'm clinically insane and should be carted off to the looney bin! Not a good first step to impress someone as important as the Hokage!_

Beating her _slightly_ panicky thoughts into submission, Tsubaki bravely maintained a calm façade through it all, as she stood up, grabbed her son's small hand in her own and nodded to the three men in front of her, declaring without words that they were ready.

At that moment, she couldn't be more thankful for this last month stay in the palace, where she had to bear the whining complaining of many spoiled brats who had never had to lift a finger in their meaningless lives. How many times hadn't she wanted to roll her eyes and inform them all what really hardships consisted of, but she had weathered it all with her _Occlumency_ and a resilience – or perhaps, it was a stubbornness – that she didn't know she even possessed and now everyone believed that she understood their plight because she shared their views about the unfairness of the world.

 _Another case of self-centred, self-serving, greedy bastards; Merlin, they are everywhere!_

''Haven't you any baggage, Namikaze-san?'', Maito-san asked, his big black brows furrowing and transforming into some kind of huge distorted caterpillar. It was not a very pleasant sight; Tsubaki hated insects and everything to do it.

''Everything I need is my pocket,'' she told him critically, smiling reassuringly at him and patting the aforementioned pocket of her black pants, which were paired with a comfortable long-sleeved beige top, light travelling grey cloak and hiking boots made of dragon-hide, which were disguised as being made of leather.

The man only looked at her in confusion for a second before he seemed to shrug it off. The other two had apparently ignored the conversation up until now and as one turned around when she started walking towards the secret exit nearest their position, with her son safely at her side.

''Yosh!'', Maito-san practically shouted with fervour, hand in a fist, arm pumping and fire in his eyes. ''Let us start this youthful journey towards our beautiful and beloved Konoha! Namikaze-san, you will find that our village is the finest of all!''

Tsubaki didn't know what really say to such fierce announcement and decided to take her cue from the other two shinobi and proceeded to ignore any mention of youth, youthful, and any other word related it, as it seemed that the spandex-wearing shinobi didn't really need any urging to keep on his enthusiastic monologue.

Ichigo glanced at his mother and asked with his eyes (he was a very precocious and clever little boy, after all, one look was more than enough to convey his question) what was all that supposed to mean but Tsubaki only shrugged and refrained for rolling her eyes. That was something she tried not to do in front of him, because she just knew that as soon as his cute little boy learned it, he'd used it against her frequently (perhaps, with reason; nonetheless, she wasn't eager for that day to come) any time his mother started going all 'mother-lioness mode' on him, which she had found he wasn't very fond of after the first couple of minutes of her fussing over him.

 _Miraculously, he didn't see anyone doing it up until now. Apparently rolling one's eyes in polite company is frown upon by the high-society_ , she idly mused, Maito's exclamations successfully turned in background noise.


	3. Chapter 2

AN: Hi, I'm back! It seems you are in luck, my muse has strike again.

When I started to write this chapter, it originally was to go in a completely different direction from what it actually came out, but it's better if I let my muse go freely or she will leave me again. LOL!

We will see the first part of the journey towards Konoha and Tsubaki's official family's history.

You will also read first-hand my first ever attempt at writing a little something akin to comedy. I'm not really sure how that came out though, it definitely was a spur of the moment thing, I swear!

Enjoy the chapter and, if you want, give me your thoughts on it. Constructive critics are always appreciated.

* * *

Chapter 2 – Destination: Konoha

''Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.'' – Unknown

* * *

Sometime later, the small group reached the main street that led them out of the capital and towards Konoha. At civilian pace they would take about two days to reach the Hidden Village in the Leaves, if they didn't encounter any unforeseen bad weather or were delayed by enemy shinobi or the average bandit groups.

After about an hour, Ichigo announced that he was tired and Tsubaki proceeded to crouch in front of him to take him on her back, without batting an eye or breaking a sweat with the extra weight. The boy sure loved his piggy-rides, as he called them. Of course, the shinobi couldn't possibly know that she had silently and wandlessly cast a feather-light charm on his son as soon as he snaked his little arms around her neck and after that a strong sticking charm between them both for good measure as well. Ichigo wasn't really that heavy but after walking a few kilometres, she knew she would be panting and dragging her feet (because even though she had exercised and trained with her bo-staff the last three months before leaving her world and then the month at the palace when she had the chance of doing so without being seen, without the help of magic her strength and stamina weren't still that great compared to an average Genin). This way, their trip wasn't delayed and it would seem to the shinobi that she was some kind of super-woman to be so resilient and not tire any time soon, since as far as they knew, she had no ninja training. Really, magic was a very wonderful thing and it helped in almost everything she could think of, at least for some time anyway. If magic could help her constantly and without any kind of work from her part, she would never even ponder the thought of physical training but, alas, it wasn't possible.

As they had left the palace at around seven in the morning, Ichigo stopped his babbling midmorning to eat a snack, which Tsubaki had retrieved from her small pack at her waist (if the shinobi were surprised that she had some type of sealing bag on her person, they didn't show it and, really, she had said that everything that she needed to take with her had been in her pocket, that should have a been an obvious clue) and then promptly took a nap, leaving the group completely silent.

Maito Gai had finished his 'youthful speech' soon after they had left the city and then had tried, and miserably failed, in drawing his supposed 'Eternal Rival' in some kind of challenge that Tsubaki wasn't really sure of what consisted of.

Kakashi – who had been mostly reading an orange book that even though made the man giggle constantly, like a teenager girl idiotically thinking about her crush (and wasn't that a disconcerting thought?), but Tsubaki had a sneaky suspicion it was not any kind of innocent comedy literature – hadn't even raised his lone eye from the page he was reading and simply shot in a very disinterested manner, ''Did you say something?'', which, she suspected, was intended to drive his colleague insane with his tone alone.

Sure enough, Maito had raged for a moment at his 'rival', before starting another speech about being 'hip and cool', which Tsubaki was quickly to tune out as well. All the while, their third comrade kept silent, with the exception of a few sporadic coughs, doing his best to pretend he wasn't in the company of an excited overgrown with a sugar-high puppy and a shameless pervert closet.

So... Tsubaki had checked what the book was about with just a quick touch of _Legillimency_ , so she was very curious, sue her!

It was not like anything new though, most of the times Camellia Potter had gotten into trouble through the years at Hogwarts, it was because of her trice-damned curiosity, which it was just as bad as the infamous Potter Luck. This time thankfully she hadn't gotten into any trouble, at least with anyone else, however she quickly cursed her curiosity to Hell and back when she found that the book was some kind of erotic novel – a badly written one at that – and with her Luck at full work, she had come across upon one of the most disturbing sex scenes she had ever the misfortune to imagine.

Lord Voldemort behind Quirrel's head in all his revolting glory wasn't even as half as perturbing and _that_ saying was something.

 _Is there Brain Bleach to erase these despicable images? Some kind of potion? A spell? I'll take anything at this point! I just know I'll have nightmares. I'll be scarred for life._ She screamed in her head, making a very good impersonation of a banshee; outwards though she was as calm and serene as a peaceful summer country day. _Yay for Occlumency! Death! Can you Obliviate those last five minutes permanently from my mind?_

Usually, she didn't call on Death as It was a very busy being – not really, It had many underlings to do the boring tasks such as collecting souls 24/7, the so-called reapers and others that she really didn't care to think about – and she preferred to take care of things the (more or less) mortal way when possible, otherwise it would be a very boring existence. However, she deemed that this situation was distressing enough that she needed help from a powerful entity such as It. Her admittedly extraordinary powers simply didn't cut it. Besides, she had lost any kind of fear she had ever had of Death and now regarded It like a sort-of friend. So, as a friend, it was Its duty to help her when she was in need, like right now.

 ** _No._** Tsubaki heard clearly in her head, the tone as bland as always and no hesitancy or sympathy for her plight to be seen whatsoever.

She didn't pout but it was a near thing, _Occlumency_ shields notwithstanding.

 _Why? Surely it's not that hard! It's only a little_ Obliviate _, dammit! Please?_ She pleaded pitifully. She was not whining, or throwing a tantrum fit for a five-years-old. She was nothing like her cousin Dudley in all his spoiled brat glory. She was simply so disturbed by what she had seen that she wasn't herself at the moment.

 ** _Still no, sorry._** Which she translated in that Death was not really that sorry and couldn't care less about her predicament. It hadn't feelings, after all, sometimes It tried but it fell pitfully short.

 _How could anyone take interest in something like that? And he keeps on giggling! That is not something one should giggle at! What I can't really understand (and won't look again even if my curiosity kills me!) is if he actually finds it funny and appealing – which if you really think about it, it is not that surprising, he's a shinobi after all, I'm sure he's seen and done worse things in his life by now – or if he's only doing it to annoy the rest of the humanity, namely his two comrades and myself. Chi-chan doesn't count, he may be somewhat of a genius for his age, but he is not that precocious!_

 _Wait! My baby already knows how to read. This man's not going to read that trash in front of my baby, is he? If I even dream that he lets my cute Chi-chan anywhere near that revolting thing, I'll burn it down before I kill him myself!_

 ** _Mistress, calm yourself!_** Death called abruptly, breaking in Tsubaki's murdering, mother-lion haze. _**You are leaking strong Killer Intent and the ninjas think they will be attacked at any moment now.**_

 _Oops!_ She mentally said, before applying all _Occlumency_ exercises she knew of to calm herself down. The oppressive energy that she hadn't even noticed around quickly disappeared.

She knew that sometimes she lost herself in her thoughts, but never before had happened like this. Being a new mother was really doing a number on her; she just hoped that she wouldn't turn into the smothering kind like Mrs. Weasley. (Oh, the horror!) After the first day she spent at the Burrow, the woman's overwhelming ways had become old fast and then almost insupportable to bear, not that she had ever complained, mind, as she was willing to receive any kind of motherly love she possibly could, but it was not easier to bear even admitting to that. And for some reason, if Chi-chan grew up to be as strong and independent as Itachi had, she was sure that her son wouldn't take very kindly to it and bear it as graciously she had.

''Sorry about that, sometimes I get carried away in my thoughts,'' Tsubaki said sheepishly, as she adjusted her son more comfortably around her neck. The boy sure had a heavy sleep, to never even budge through all that oppression.

Unconsciously, her face had turned into an embarrassed expression that made the three men easily recall the late Yondaime Hokage's same expression when he had been feeling self-conscious or mortified (which had had happened often enough around one Uzumaki Kushina), thus pointing out another proof that this woman indeed shared a blood connection with Minato.

The three shinobi regarded her with varying amounts of disbelief, likely incredulous that some slip of a woman (not even 5 feet tall), who even hadn't had shinobi training could have such a powerful KI, seemingly without any provocation whatsoever.

What they didn't know was that as the Mistress of Death, she technically commanded Death (for all the good that it did as the first favour she had asked for herself had been some form of forgetting a few traumatising images and had been promptly denied), and when in a murderous fit she could make anyone feel as if they were staring Death itself in the face and feel with certitude that they were not long for this world. Lesser men would surely die of heart failure.

There was awkwardness for a moment while everyone kept on walking forward as no one really knew what to respond to that or even if they should really say anything at all.

Thankfully, Maito Gai's ever-present resilience came through once more as the man decided to get to know their client and future fellow citizen of Konoha better. The other two appeared as if they had lost interest in Tsubaki and returned to their previous private activities – aka one resumed reading bad porn and the other kept on pretending ignore them all, after he had coughed again (which started worrying the woman slightly. _Is he sick or something? I hope it's nothing contagious, Chi-chan is too young to be catching unknown diseases from ninja_ ).

''So, Namikaze-san,'' Maito started in his loud and exuberant tone, stepping a little closer to her, but not invading her personal space, ''where are you from originally?''

Tsubaki barely raised an eyebrow at that. She knew that usually shinobi were all about subtle hidden meanings and reading between the lines, but she acknowledged that in this case they had no need to do so. After all, she wasn't an enemy and they had no motive to think that she had any necessity to lie. Moreover, she suspected that they had orders to not antagonise her much without due reason. She was uncontestably the younger sister of their Yondaime. The knowledge that she was possibly an expert in antidotes and healing certainly had interested the Sandaime as well. So, she deducted that for the moment she had no need to worry much about these ninjas' ulterior motives in knowing about her life.

''Until three months ago, my son and I lived in the Land of Tea,'' she said easily, forcing herself to smile a little sadly, as if remembering something good but painful as well, before she added, ''though my mother's family was originally from Uzushio.''

''Uzushio?'', Kakashi said surprised, suddenly much more interested in the conversation, and thankfully putting that nasty thing (aka bad porn book) away. He eyed Tsubaki's red hair for a second, before asking thoughtfully. ''Do you happen to be related to the Uzumaki Clan, by chance?''

At that question, even Hayate ended his pretence of ignoring his travel companions and seemed very interested in the young woman's answer. Gai had been focused on her all along so his expression didn't really change.

''Yes,'' Tsubaki admitted with a small smile, as she felt her son squeeze his arms slightly around her neck and mumble something in his sleep. ''My grandfather was an Uzushio Jonin and, if I remember correctly, he was Uzumaki Mito's cousin's son. He died in a mission when he was about thirty years old. My grandmother however was from the minor Kurosawa Clan, she was a civilian nurse.''

Seeing the three men so interested in her family's history, she decided to keep on talking about it as the subject was not meant to stay a secret, but rather the opposite. She had carefully created her 'family tree' to include a few relations with some important people to Konoha, in a credible way of course, so she'd share family ties (even if a little distant) to Kushina, Naruto's mother, which, she hoped, would help her even more when she set up her plan to adopt the boy. Though she didn't really need much proof as her red hair was a strong clue she was somehow related to the Uzumaki Clan.

At first she had thought she would relay this information directly to the Hokage; however she didn't see the problem of telling these shinobi right now, as she was sure they would pass the information to their leader as soon as they had the chance and therefore she wouldn't have to be questioned by the Sandaime about her personal life. For one, it had the added benefit of the information possibly being spread more quickly through the village by way of gossip, as was her intention for the villagers to know about her; for other, after walking in silence for a few hours, it was becoming rather dull and she supposed that by chatting, the time would pass faster and it would distract her from her boredom and worry of being attacked.

''My mother was a civilian medic and worked at the village's hospital, which was where she met my father for the first time. He had been found badly injured in a forest nearby by Uzushio shinobi when they returned from a mission.''

Her story was carefully woven to show that she didn't have anything to hide about her family and everything was timed perfectly to coincide with actual past events. Death had told her that was at that time and place that young Minato had lost both his parents to bandits. Only the part about the father being found by Uzushio ninja was fictitious, however with the destruction of that village, any record ever existent had been lost as well and there was no way to prove or deny her statements.

The men walked around her in some sort of military formation but kept half their attention on her words and the other half in their surroundings.

''You see, my father and his then wife and son were travelling with others in a caravan, intent on reaching Uzushio to sell their wares when they were attacked by bandits. His wife was killed in front of him before they turned on him. He told my mother and grandmother that he had urged my brother to run as he tried to distract the men to give him time to escape. After that, he said that was all a bit confusing as he was hit in the head and lost consciousness for a while, which most likely was what saved his life, as the bandits believed him dead. The next thing he remembered was wandering around the forest searching for his son with no luck. Eventually, he had stopped near the main road and was found by the Uzushio nin. For the rest of his life he believed that his son had died that day as well, never imagining that he had been brought to Konoha.''

''How did you find out that Yondaime-sama was your brother?'', Kakashi asked rather bluntly. It was clear that he was very much interested in what she was saying, but he appeared to be suspicious as well. Tsubaki was not at all offended; she had come to understand that was the way ninjas worked – they would never believe you completely at face-value, even more if you were a stranger. ''And why come to Konoha now, when sensei has been gone for almost ten years?''

 _Ah, I'd almost forgotten that Kakashi had been Minato's student for almost ten years. Most likely, he regarded him like a fatherly figure and he's more invested than anyone else to know about his sensei's mysterious sister who suddenly appeared from nowhere._

''Frankly, I only discovered that the famous Yellow Flash and Yondaime Hokage was my brother about four years ago,'' she confessed easily with a slight shrug, careful to not dislodge Ichigo from his perch. ''To explain better, I need to tell you the rest of my family's history. You see, after his stay at the hospital in Uzushio, my father was in a really bad place emotionally. However, my mother helped him overcome his grief and eventually they decided to marry some time later. The problem was that my father had his main business in his hometown in the Land of Tea and couldn't live permanently in Uzushio, so they moved there and took my grandmother with them. I still believe that it was fate that they escaped the destruction of the village, which happened about a year after they left.''

She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and drink some water before she continued, all the while the three men politely listening to her story, without interrupting.

''Luckily, they were in need of medical staff there so my mother and grandmother had work and life was reasonably good until I was fifteen months old. Then, one night there was a huge fire that consumed a considerable part of the town. Naturally, my entire family was at home. My grandmother managed to get me before the flames got too close and escaped the house, my parents didn't share the same luck though. After that, my grandmother raised me, until at age sixteen I met a Konoha Chunnin, who would become the father of my child.''

They didn't appear much surprised at that last statement as she assumed that they had already realized that Ichigo had most likely an Uchiha for a father, her words only confirming their suspicions. The ninja kept silent, choosing not comment on this latest bit of information.

''Uchiha Yoshiro was his name,'' she continued, forcing her tone in turning sorrowful as she supposedly recalled her dead past lover. The name apparently was not familiar to any of them. ''He and his team came usually twice a month to the Land of Tea; their mission was to check the usual order to the Konoha Hospital and bring it to the village, I believe,'' she added and saw Gai nodding absentmindedly at that. It seemed that the man was familiar with that mission request; she had done her homework well after all. Everything she spoke of her alleged dead lover was true with the exception obviously of having met her and sire a son. Thankfully, there were no Uchiha alive to confirm or deny her words. ''One of the first things he told me jokingly, even before he knew my last name, was that I looked like the long lost sister of the Yondaime, as apparently we seemed practically twins if one discounted my red hair and green eyes.''

Even though none of the ninja said so out loud, they appeared to be in agreement on that point, which it was actually true; after all, Death had changed Tsubaki's features to resemble her late 'brother' as much as possible.

''At the time, I really didn't take him seriously, because my father had been so certain that my brother was dead and even then to imagine that that boy had become someone so important and powerful was simply mind-boggling for me and that name was not so uncommon, I had pointed out. However, the next time I saw him; he brought along an old Bingo Book and showed me his picture. I was convinced after that, as only a blind person wouldn't spot the evident similarities between both of us. I was happy and sad at the same time, naturally. On one side, my brother had survived and lived a rewarding life and achieved something so remarkable and important; on other, he had still died young just after he had become Hokage, even if he did it to protect his village.

''Soon after that, I found that I was pregnant so any idea of at least shortly visiting Konoha was put on hold, indefinitely. Needless to say, the Uchiha Elders had not been enthusiastic when Yoshiro informed them that he would soon have a child,'' she added with a grimace. She could easily imagine their reactions to that if it had been indeed the truth; she only needed to recall the Purebloods' views about the Muggle-Borns, after all. ''So we decided that it was for the best that I remained in my hometown until my son was born, at least, and we'd decide what to do after that. About three months after Ichigo was born though, Yoshiro was killed in a mission and I lost any intention of leaving my hometown to visit some village that I had never been to before while my son was so young. Then came the time my grandmother fell gravely ill and I couldn't leave her, naturally.

''To answer your question, Kakashi-san,'' Tsubaki finished, looking at the man in question; he regarded her back with his lone dark eye. ''I chose this time to move to Konoha because my grandmother has recently died and I have nothing else that connects me to that place anymore.''

Kakashi nodded in thanks for her answer before looking away. Maito turned solemn for a moment (before his face had been a blank mask, confirming that despite his exuberant attitude, he was still a ninja and would act accordingly when necessary) which it was an odd expression in his usual jovial face, before he pumped his fist and smiled confidently at her.

''Yosh! I am sure that you'll have many happy memories in Konoha in no time, Namikaze-san! The Springtime of Youth is upon us and with the will of the fire we will persevere and the dark times will be no more!''

Tsubaki was speechless for a beat, unsure of the appropriate answer to that fierce statement (something which she noticed was a usual occurrence where this man was concerned), before she said simply but kindly.

''Please, call me Tsubaki, all of you. I am not much for needless formalities. I've had more than enough of it at the palace,'' she added with a grimace for good measure as she remembered all the formality that any conversation with the royal family and high-society required of her. Thankfully, she had a few memories from after the war in the wizarding world with all the balls and other events that the Ministry had organized, to draw back from and luckily she hadn't committed any horrible _faux-pas_. She hated it though; she considered most of them unduly unnecessary and more than a bit draining.

''It's an honour, Tsubaki-san,'' he responded in kind, smiling brightly at her. ''You may call me Gai and my friends don't stand for excessive formalities either.''

The other two ninja didn't say anything out loud but nodded in acknowledgement of Gai's words.

Tsubaki just smiled kindly at them.

* * *

Soon after that, Ichigo woke up from his nap and they unanimously decided to stop for a while and take a break.

Tsubaki proceeded to produce from her small (magical bottomless) bag at her waist two large lunch-boxes and offered some of the food to her travel companions. As they didn't seem to accept her offer any time soon, as they eyed the lunch-box with something akin to distrust (another usual ninja's way of life, she surmised), she jokingly said, ''It's not poisoned, you know? You wouldn't be a great help in defending me from an eventual attack if you were drugged or dead.''

Ichigo, rice-ball in hand and cheeks smeared with the remains of the previous one, looked at his mother as if she was ridiculous, before he turned to the shinobi seated around the young par with curiosity.

''Why would they think that, mum?'', he asked doubtfully, not really understanding.

''Ninja usual don't trust food or water offered by strangers,'' Tsubaki answered easily, already used to enlighten his son's endless questions about anything and everything. ''You see, Chi-chan, a hidden enemy can drug them to sleep or even kill them if they are not careful.''

The ninjas appeared rather doubtful that a child so young - at least a civilian one – would or should understand the entire meaning of that statement but they didn't bother denying Tsubaki's explanation as it was the truth. Tsubaki, however, had no doubts that her son understood it very well. Ichigo was very precocious and she never shied away from explaining anything the boy asked about – well, at least, until that moment he hadn't yet a question that she couldn't or wouldn't answer. The boy already roughly understood that all people eventually died, killed by others or through natural causes. The young woman had carefully and clearly talked about it shortly after she had turned Itachi into Ichigo and the boy had asked about their grandmother. It simply was the way of life, so he wasn't too bothered when the matter was addressed in a conversation.

''Oh,'' Ichigo simply said frowning after some thought, before he added to the shinobi who were regarding that conversation with varying degrees of interest, ''But you can eat, the food is really good. Mum wouldn't do that or I would be poisoned too, right?''

If they were shocked with the little boy's very logical point, they didn't out rightly showed it, but finally accepted and dug in.

Tsubaki just beamed proudly at her son, she knew her son was the most intelligent in the world!


	4. Chapter 3

Hi! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited, you're the best!

I apologize in advance for this huge AN but I feel that it is necessary.

Some readers had a few questions that I'd like to explain to you all.

First, when I said that this story was AU, maybe I should have been a little more explicit to avoid confusion. In this story every major cannon event before this point did happen – the Kyuubi attack, the Uchiha massacre, etc. – however, opposite to cannon what really happened 'behind the scenes' (i.e. Tobi's participation) may be or may not be different for the sake of my plot and story line (meaning that I still don't know where exactly I will go with this, and I'd prefer leaving my options open for later). For now, all that is certain is the official version of these same events.

In fact, from this point on, you can all forget cannon (Akatsuki, etc.); I'll integrate some things in the story as it is unavoidable but for the major part expect different things to happen.

Secondly, Itachi's 'death': some people pointed out that Mia had 'killed' Itachi anyway, thus making a moot point in saving him in the first place. I'll explain what I had thought would happen if Itachi had actually died that day.

Itachi managed to commit suicide and not long after that was found by ninjas from another hidden village. It really doesn't matter which one, at that point he was a missing nin and featured in every bingo book with a generous reward for his head – after all, he was a Uchiha genius, and (in)famous because he had killed his clan in a single night and managed to elude every attempt at being captured since then.

Because of this, the ones who would eventually find Itachi would happily demand the reward for his head (no need to mention that they had already found him dead as there would be no one else to disprove their words). This news would surely spread around the elemental nations, the 'lucky' village would get good publicity over it, and eventually this information would reach Konoha and be the talk of town. Sasuke would find out and loose his goal of killing his brother and Danzo would size the easy chance at manipulating the boy and integrating him in Root –as Itachi would no longer be able to inconspicuously 'remembering' him occasionally of their deal the night of the massacre. As Sasuke would 'disappear' in Root, he and Naruto would not be teammates and thus no way of possibly create a friendship between both of them.

This was more or less what I imagined what would happen if Death and Mia hadn't had intervened. Sure, there could be other different outcomes, but for this story this is what would happen.

With Itachi out of reach of anyone searching for him, they can only speculate about him and Mia has the power and skill to inconspicuously make Danzo believe that Itachi is still out there with an eye on him.

Thirdly, Mia's dubious actions: as already mentioned before in the story, her morals are a little different from when she was a teenager. There are several reasons for it – she grew up, the war happened and her training with the Deadly Hallows and interaction with Death had left a certain 'mark' and put many things in a different perspective, so to speak.

She isn't a bad person nor does have evil intentions, she's just different. She learned that sometimes one must do things that one isn't particularly proud of but if it means helping or saving one of your most important people, she would do it in a heartbeat; which at least for now is only her new son. This decision was somewhat easy because there no longer was a magical world ready to point their fingers at and accuse her of being 'the next dark lady' if she used a dark spell or an obscure potion and this world is a much dangerous one with a very different culture and beliefs.

So, in short in this story, Mia Potter/Namikaze Tsubaki doesn't take undeserved crap from anyone – she'll kick butts, offend some people and make them angry with her words and actions and she will not be sorry for it.

I hope that I was able to clear some doubts. If there are any other questions, feel free to ask.

* * *

WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: (mild) implication of rape, violence, blood, death and everything included in a ninja fight.

This is my first time writing a fighting scene and honestly I don't really know how well that went, but well, what is done is done. I also included another 'power' from Death in this chapter (there are more to come in the next one). I think this particular power is original, at least, I've never read about it before.

Please tell me what you think!

* * *

''When someone challenges you, fight back. Be brutal, be tough.'' – Donald Trump

* * *

Chapter 3 – Under Attack

The rest of the lunch break passed mostly in comfortable silence, with only an occasional comment from Ichigo about some thing or other. However, their peace was fated to not last much longer.

They had just resumed their journey when Tsubaki felt them: four people were approaching stealthy and slowly from her left side (she couldn't say if it was north, south or whatever, she had also sucked at directions; it was for that the Point-me spell was made for). As she had not been consciously tracking, the possible enemy shinobi had just entered her one-hundred metres range.

She stiffened noticeably, which promptly alerted her shinobi companions that something was wrong. Before saying anything, she spread her awareness around but found no one else up until three hundred metres.

 _This is it._

''Is there something wrong, Tsubaki-san?'', Kakashi asked even as he looked around their surroundings, finding nothing.

''There are four people approaching from there,'' she said in a deceiving calm tone, pointing in the direction in question with her left arm. ''They are within one-hundred metres. By the slow way they are moving, they most definitely are shinobi.''

For just a split second, the tree men looked at her in astonishment, before their high trained instincts took over and they shifted in ready stances to fight, protectively around Tsubaki and Ichigo. However, the young witch was having none of that. She hadn't ever been protected from danger even when she had been young and magically unexperienced, and now with all the power she held, she was more than capable of defending herself. It wasn't that she didn't trust the three ninja to protect them both, it was just simply who she was. Call it Gryffindor bravery, if you want, but she wasn't stepping aside and letting them fight for her.

She fluidly bent down on her knees quickly and looked gravely at her son, who was nervously glancing around, his hand securely in his mother's.

''Ichigo,'' she said and the boy readily turned his eyes to hers. He could count on the fingers of his hands how many times his mother had called him by his full name in all his remembered life – it was when he was in trouble for something he had done or when she would say something very serious and important and he'd need to listen very carefully. ''Remember what we talked about the other day? If anytime there was something dangerous happening?''

''Yes, mum,'' the little boy answered, nodding; she raised an eyebrow in question and he quickly expounded. ''You'll call Nox and he'll take me away from danger while you fight.''

''Very good,'' she praised with a small smile. Her son was so smart. She kissed his head before adding. ''You'll be careful up there, alright? The nice ninja and I will finish this before you know it.''

''Ok.''

Tsubaki felt her companions shift around them to give her a little more room and throw her confused glances but they didn't say anything, more preoccupied with the alleged incoming enemy ninjas.

She stood quickly and graciously to her feet before she concentrated for a second and then called, ''Nox!''

In front of the young witch, shadows suddenly gathered before gradually turning solid and a creature never before sighted in the Elemental Nations appeared which promptly bowed to the Mistress of Death in deference. The mysterious creature, called a thestral, was like a winged horse, with a skeletal body, face with reptilian features and wide, leathery wings that resembled a bat's. It was completely fleshless, its black coat clinging to its skeleton, of which every bone was visible. Its head was dragonish and its pupil less eyes white.(*)

Tsubaki could feel her companion's utter shock but now was not the moment for explanations. She was only thankful that her son hadn't had run screaming the first time he had seen the thestral, which had been soon after Itachi had become Ichigo. She had decided to fly on the creature's back (all of them invisible, naturally) until they were only a couple of miles before entering the capital, thus they had reached the city quickly and hadn't encountered any bandits or other obstacles in the way. Amazingly enough, the boy had taken to the creature very quickly, not bothered in the least with its somewhat creepy and gloomy figure, and stated that he loved to ride on its back.

Nox was one of the several creatures under her command as Mistress of Death, through the Deadly Hallows' powers. Their relationship worked in a similar way as of the Ninja and their summons, she'd discovered. They were called when needed and each of them had their own area of expertise, such in combat, evacuation, delivery of messages, etc. This time, Nox's duty was to fly with Ichigo some distance away from the fight that would surely soon occur and keep the boy distracted from the violence and most likely bloodshed.

Tsubaki was of the firm opinion that her son was too young to needlessly witness this dangerous side of life and she was in no rush in taking her little boy's innocence away. And there was also the possibility of Ichigo (re)awakening his Sharingan, which was the last thing they needed right now (he had been de-aged to an age when he hadn't still possessed it in his 'first life'). Just like Itachi, Ichigo was a pacifist, even though he didn't really still understand about wars and all that involved. However, with the possession of the Sharingan, the young mother worried that the boy would somehow, someway, feel pressured to follow in the ninja arts even though it wasn't his wish to fight. And that was something that she wanted to avoid at all costs. Her son would be anything that would make him happy and not something the others unduly expected of him – that was a promised which she had vowed to herself.

Ichigo promptly mounted in the thestral's back without coaching and snaked his little arms around Nox's neck. Tsubaki casted a strong sticking charm at them before patting the creature's head affectionately.

''Go and only come back when I call you,'' she ordered and Nox swiftly took off.

At the same time the three ninjas around her finally saw their enemies appear from behind the tall trees as they had already been found out, shocking expressions on their faces as they saw the thestral taking flight. They were shinobi from Iwa as validated by their village's hitai-ate. They also all (more or less) wore the standard ninja red outfit for Iwa – with one or both sleeves, a brown flak jacket and mesh armour around their ankles.

''What the hell is that?'', one of them almost shouted dumbfounded, pointing an incredulous finger at the fleeing creature, before he seemed to remember what their reason to being there was and turned towards their opponents.

The man's companions were behind him in silence but ready to fight at any moment, eyeing the Konoha's shinobi with more than a bit of bloodthirst and eagerness to fight in their faces.

''Give us the Namikaze girl and there is no need to fight.''

That sentence was said in such a demeaning and arrogant way that made Tsubaki bristle in outrage. The Konoha ninja were not impressed with the man's demand either, if their glares were anything to go by (even Gai!) – as if they would quietly hand the woman over just because the unknown man had so pretentiously requested.

 _What am I, a sack of rice? I'll show you, insolent bastard!_

With barely a thought, the Elder Wand appeared in her right hand, before it proceeded to lengthen until it was almost her height. She shifted in her ready to fight stance and glared fiercely at them, a fair amount of KI deliberately radiating from her body. (If anyone was surprise by that, no one chose to comment.)

She could have them all trounced in a matter of seconds with a simple curse or spell, naturally, however she wished to see how exactly did she fair in a fight with an actual human with her staff – her training had only consisted fighting against a magical dummy, it was similar but not the same. She was fairly confident in her skills but if her opponent turned to be more difficult to beat than she believed, she could always curse him with barely a thought and a move of her fingers. And, really, it wouldn't do to perform the Konoha's shinobi's job – after all, they were there to protect her and Ichigo. Not that she really needed it, but still it wouldn't do to show most of her power to people she had just met recently; it was not in her plan to be seen by the Hokage as someone too powerful and possible a threat to Konoha who needed to be under their watch.

''Maa, maa,'' Kakashi said almost lazily, his tone completely at odds with his body language, after he had felt Tsubaki's KI and glanced quickly at her. ''What would you need the young lady for?''

''It's none of your business!'', the same man from before yelled with a scowl.

''She's the sister of that Namikaze scum!'', one of the others spat with revulsion, advancing a step and unleashing his katana. ''Her only need is to die!''

After that resounding statement, it seemed that no more words needed to be exchanged. Each group had their own rather different view about the young Namikaze woman's near future fate and would not budge in their opinions. The only solution was, naturally, to fight it out.

The Konoha shinobi tried among them to take all four opponents. They weren't successful in that attempt, though, and one of the Iwa ninja was able to slip through and charge directly at Tsubaki, who was ready and easily deflected the shuriken thrown at her with her trusty staff.

The man seemed to be oldest of the group and if she had to guess, she'd say that he was a Jonin. He looked at her in a way that unsettled her greatly after he stopped a few feet from her – he was the hunter and she his fragile prey. Tsubaki glared at him in silence, KI constantly leaking from her tense body. For some reason, it made her recall her confrontations with the seedier Death Eaters, who had never lost any possible chance exposing to the Girl Who Lived what they would do to her as soon as they captured her. Needless to say, none of that had been pleasant at all.

Sure enough, after another second of appraising her, the sordid man smirked at her before taking out a kunai and leering at her, making Tsubaki feel instantly dirty.

''Aren't you a feisty one?'', he asked rhetorically, licking his lips as his eyes shamelessly roamed her body. ''Such a waste… I think before I kill you, I'll have some fun, hm?''

Internally, she shuddered with deep revulsion, fighting her instinct of throwing him a castration curse and be done with it. She gripped her staff tighter in her hands as she glared anew. At first, she had planned to draw out the fight as long as she could to evaluate her skills level, now she wanted to finish it before she did something she would regret (or perhaps wouldn't regret at all, and that was something that only unsettle her minimally after everything she had lived through and learned these last few months mastering the Deadly Hallows).

As the man continued with his innuendos and disgusting ogling – she had tuned him out after that first statement for her level-headedness's sake – seemingly happy to simply stand there and speak, ignoring the sounds of fighting all around them from friends and foes alike, she quickly charged at him with her staff in a stab-like motion aimed at the man's neck.

Unsurprisingly, he dodged but thankfully he shut up and took her seriously after that. For some time they both parried, Tsubaki ruthlessly striking and defending with her staff and the shinobi slashing with his kunai and attacking with his limbs and dodging. At first, the man had thought that he could cut or break the wooden staff with ease but was quickly proven wrong. The expanded Elder Wand was practically indestructible by magical means and a measly kunai could not even lightly scratch the wood with all the strength the man was able to muster against it.

Eventually, the man started to become frustrated and his taunting demeanour soon faded away to fury, as all his attempts were easily thwarted at every turn by the young woman, who supposedly didn't have any ninja training whatsoever.

Tsubaki smirked at him as she blocked another vicious kick aimed to her chest with her staff. She could say that she was quite pleased with her skills at that moment; if she hadn't the help of magic, she wouldn't have withstood one of the most ferocious kicks aimed at her and it would have been the end of her, however, with magic strengthening her muscles (not unlike shinobi do with chakra), that task was fairly easy to accomplish.

''Enough!'', the man almost roared in frustration, jumping away from her. He began making hand seals before shouting, ''Mud shot Technique!'', and promptly firing mud from his mouth directly at Tsubaki.

 _Bloody hell! That's gross!_

Not sure what that would do to her, but certainly not willing to find out either, she quickly spun her staff in front of her, not unlike an helicopter helix, and added a repelling spell so that no mud actually touch her. Once it stopped, Tsubaki could almost feel the man's patience break completely. It was clear that he was furious. Up until now, he hadn't tried to actually kill her, only disable her, as he had planned to have 'fun' with her later. Now, it seemed that he couldn't care less anymore and just wanted her dead, pronto!

After another round of quick hand seals, the man gleefully and cruelly intoned, ''Earth Release: Earth and Stone Bamboo Shoot! Take that, bitch!''

This technique appeared to produce four large spikes coming from four separated directions with the intention of skewering the target, who was right in the middle. Tsubaki had deduced this in a moment and promptly apparated out of there, unwilling to test her dodging skills or the actual strength of her 'Protego' against such strong and pointy pieces of rock from all around her. She was sure as hell that if even only one of them actually touched her, it would be very painfully and bloody. Sure, she wouldn't die from it, but she was no masochist, thank you very much.

''Tsubaki-san!'', she heard the Konoha shinobi call for her in horror.

She appeared soundlessly a few feet away and hid behind a tree for a moment to decide her next move.

 _Play time is over. I already have what I wanted. My skills are fairly acceptable but I need to improve some more. There were a few times that he had almost got me and that is not good. From what I can deduce, he is an average Jonin, so if an Elite Jonin or someone higher up went against me in these same circumstances, I'd be black and blue by now if was lucky!_

Her opponent started to gloat about killing the 'Namikaze Scum', even before the dust settled – which had resulted from the spikes crashing against each other. Enraged, the Konoha shinobi finished their fights against their respective adversaries – who, in the end, were more dead than alive with blood freely flowing, from what she could see from her hidden spot – before they ran to the place where Tsubaki had been moments previously.

After a moment of futile search, Kakashi, faster than lightning, punched the one remaining Iwa ninja standing hard on the face, cutting him mid gloat and making fly backwards with the sheer strength of the attack. He continued to attack the man relentlessly and soon he was panting and bleeding from his mouth and head, his previous gloating attitude nowhere to be seen.

Gai and Hayate were a bit behind and to the sides of his friend but made no move to either help him or restrain him in what he was planning to do.

From where she was, Tsubaki could see that he was completely livid and the other two were grim faced. Then, she saw something that she wasn't expecting at all and totally shocked her. Kakashi uncovered his left eye – the same one that had given her the feeling of being foreign – and the Sharingan appeared in all its black and red glory.

Even though Death had given her much information about this world and Konoha in particular, It hadn't given any details about specific people beyond what Tsubaki had needed when she had arrived – such was the case of the Daimyo and his family and the Hokage. So it was not surprising that she had no knowledge about Kakashi having one Sharingan eye, which had to have been freely given to him at some point in the past – she theorized that if the eye had been stolen or acquired by any means which the rightful didn't approve of, the 'feeling' that she would get from it would be vastly different. After all, it still was a part of someone else, almost like a piece of soul but no quite.

Suddenly, there was a sound like a thousand birds chirping and Kakashi appeared to have pure lightning gathered in his hand. Tsubaki quickly understood what the silver-headed ninja planned to do – with that high concentration of chakra directly against his enemy's upper body, the man had no hope to survive. She couldn't let him kill the Iwa ninja though. Not out of pity or compassion – she understood how this world worked and she couldn't bring the ideals from her world and forced them on shinobi, they simply didn't live that way. And honestly, that man had first made sexual innuendos about her – never directly saying but implying nonetheless that if he had his way, he would do things to her that should never be done to a woman against her will – and after that he did his best to try and kill her. So no, she wasn't feeling particularly charitable. However, they needed information, and from what she could see, the others were in no condition to do so.

(As she thought that, a distinct and strange feeling made her look more closely at one of the fallen shinobi and she saw what she believe the man's soul leave his body. It was a shimmering, silver little sphere-like energy; it rose unhurriedly in the air before dissipating like it was made of smoke, leaving her with a peculiar sensation that she couldn't really tell if it was good or bad.

It was the first time she had seen someone die since she had become officially the Mistress of Death and she hadn't known that she would be able to witness such a thing. It was food for thought, for later.)

''Stop!'', she called, appearing from the tree she had hidden behind and advancing quickly towards the shinobi, startling everyone.

Kakashi obediently left his Jutsu dissipate, as he and the other two turned in her direction, all of them with varying gobsmacked expressions on their faces.

''You can't kill him,'' she continued, ignoring their reactions to her complete whole and unharmed appearance. ''We need information from him.''

After some more gawking which she politely decided to not comment about, they seemed to regain their bearings and reach the same conclusion as her.

''You're right,'' Kakashi agreed with an eye-smile, his careless and relaxed mask back in place, and proceeded to tie their now-prisoner with ninja wire.

Internally, Tsubaki was grateful for that change. Even though she believed that, for now, she was safe in their company, the man's previous expression had been one of the most frightening she had seen in all her life (Snape's included). She opened her mouth to say something, which she promptly forgot; when she noticed Hayate was severely bleeding from his right leg and leaning heavily on his left, one hand supported against the trunk of a tree.

''What happened, Hayate-san?'', she asked, looking more closely, letting go of her staff which promptly disappeared and kneeled beside the ninja.

''Oh, this is just a scrap,'' the man answered in a dismissive manner, trying to dissipating her worry and not succeeding, before having another coughing fit. ''I'll bandage it and it'll be good as new.''

Tsubaki wanted to roll her eyes at him but restrained herself. _Men!_

''I'll take care of it easily but please let's move a little farther form here first,'' she said as she stood up and looked around in search of an appropriate place. Idly she noticed Gai sealing two ninjas in scrolls (apparently another one had died) and Kakashi had gathered the other two Iwa ninja expertly tied against another tree for support. ''I just want to call my son back and he doesn't need to see this.''


	5. Chapter 4

Here it is another chapter!

It took a while but it's finally done. I learned that I must not force my muse or she will run away. I have to wait that she comes to me, hehe!

In this one I introduce another special power of the Mistress of Death. I never read another fanfiction with something like this so I hope that you like this original idea. Tell me what you think of it.

For some people who wondered – If I pair Tsubaki with someone, it will be with Kakashi. I'm still not sure what I will do because I've never written romance before.

If there are some things you would like to see later in the story, feel free to tell me and I'll see what I can do. Any specific ideas will be credited.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

'People will always try to stop you from doing the right thing if it is unconventional.'' – Warren Buffet

* * *

Chapter 4 - Unconventional Healing Skills

After moving a little ways away from the fighting place and the beat-up ninjas, Tsubaki helped Hayate seat on the ground and extend his injured leg comfortably, before she whistled loudly, looking up at the sky. Not long after that, Nox came into view with Ichigo happily ridding on its back and smoothly descended from the skies towards the young woman.

As soon as the creature touched down, Tsubaki was there gathering her son in her arms and kissing his head lovingly. The boy glanced briefly at the injured shinobi on the ground but didn't comment on it when he saw that the man seemed relatively alright besides his bloody leg and surmised that it wasn't very severe if he was there sitting calmly and watching them with curiosity.

''Alright, baby?'', she asked as she took him from Nox and adjusted him on her hip.

Usually, Ichigo hated to be called 'baby' but this time he let it slide as he understood that his mother was worried about him, even though there was absolutely no need for it.

''Yeah!'', the boy said happily with a smile, trying in his own way assuring his mother that he was alright. ''Nox flew over a river and the water was sparkling under the sunlight; it was great!''

Tsubaki relaxed minutely and smiled warmly, seeing that his son was not upset in the least with what had just happened. She took out a container from her bag and gave it to Ichigo.

''Here, take some meat and feed it to Nox in thanks. I need to help Hayate-san and heal his leg.''

She patted the creature's head fondly, thanking it for its help. The boy nodded and stepped a little to the side, away from his mother and the injured ninja – who had been watching their interaction in complete silence – already knowing how to feed the thestral. Smelling the treat, Nox followed him easily.

''Can you push your pants' leg out of the way, Hayate-san?'', she asked as she kneeled in front of the bloody limb and proceeded to take out her potions box and the first-aid kit.

The man promptly acquiesced with a nod and carefully folded up the cloth up and away from the bloody wound – it was right below the knee so the task was fairly easily done.

Tsubaki observed the wound for a moment before she cleaned the greatest part of the blood spilled away with a sanitary cloth and dripped a few drops of a cleansing potion to prevent infection directly into the large cut, which she surmised had been done by Hayate's opponent's katana.

By that time, Gai and Kakashi approached them and were watching them in interest but kept silent leaving her to concentrate on the task at hand. She hoped that they were able to gather some information about the Iwa ninjas' mission in killing her.

Tsubaki concentrated for a second and a golden-like glow surrounded her right hand which she then proceeded in resting directly atop the now no longer bleeding wound and slowly but steadily closed it without leaving even a faint scar behind.

The three men were utterly intrigued by her healing skills – sure, what she had done was similar to what a medical ninja was able to do, however the glow around the hand usually was green and most flesh wounds left a scar behind even if only a faint one; in this case, though, it was like there had never been a wound there before and the skin was completely smooth and unblemished. Not to mention all the glass vials they could see in that case at her side, the men assumed they were some kind of medicine but they could not recognize any of them.

''Alright, the wound is completely healed,'' Tsubaki needlessly stated after she had sighed softly, looking up at Hayate who was staring gobsmacked at her. ''Do you feel any lingering pain from it?''

He cleared his throat before answering and promptly started coughing – again. ''No, I feel like it never happened.''

''Good.'' Then she hesitated for a second, wondering if the man would believe her too noisy, before she decided to ask anyway. That issue had been in her mind since the first time she heard it. ''If you don't mind me asking – that coughing, what is exactly the cause for it?''

''The cause?'', he asked not really understanding. Kakashi and Gai looked at her with similar questioning expressions.

''Yes, your chronic cough is due to natural causes or by something else, such as poison for example?''

''Oh,'' Hayate made a sound of understanding before explaining. ''Around four years ago, I inhaled some unknown poisonous gas when fighting against another ninja, which damaged my lungs. The medical staff at Konoha Hospital has been trying to find a permanent cure for it, but after a few months the infection always returns.''

This was said in a very matter-of-fact tone, showing that the man was already used to it and more than likely would live the rest of his life with this condition.

''Hum,'' she hummed thoughtfully, checking in her potions' case if she had the potion necessary to treat such ailment. She found it after a few seconds of search. ''I can cure it right now if you'd like to.''

Hayate looked at her for several heartbeats in utter shock – it was the most expressive she had seen him up until now. She could imagine what he was thinking in that moment. If she had an illness which she had given up ever find a permanent cure for and then, from seemingly nowhere, someone offered a solution, she'd be shocked and hopeful too.

''Really?''

''How can you have a permanent cure for it if you don't even really know what exactly caused it in the first place?'', Kakashi demanded, eye narrowed and tone suspicious. ''The medical staff has been trying for years and has done many exams to find some solution without success.''

Tsubaki didn't take offense to the almost accusatory statement directed at her. She could understand that it wasn't easy to believe that she could offer a solution without effort when some of the more skilled healers in Konoha weren't able to. However, she was a witch with very particular talents and unorthodox ones at that. So, she decided to explain a bit about what she could do healing-wise. It would be all over Konoha soon after they arrived at the village and it would be another point in her standing among the shinobi there. Surely, they – meaning the council and other higher-ups, specially – wouldn't be so foolish as to antagonize someone who could practically heal anything that usually was impossible to accomplish.

''Were you told how have my son and I came to be guests at the Daimyo's palace?'', she asked them instead of answering Kakashi.

''You saved the Daimyo's youngest son from dying poisoned,'' Kakashi promptly said, allowing his question to remain answered for the moment.

''So you're an expert in poisons and antidotes then, Tsubaki-san? Or a medic, perhaps?'', Gai asked in a manner very different from the first part of their journey. His tone wasn't accusing or anything like it, but Tsubaki could see that he, like his friends, was somewhat wary of her.

''Not really, my healing skills are very unconventional; I could never be a normal medic. They are similar to a bloodline limit, you could say, though the requisites to receive such talents are very specific and nearly impossible to accomplish.''

''Please explain,'' Kakashi demanded without actually being rude.

At that moment Ichigo returned to her mother's side and sat on the ground, looking curiously at them all, after Nox had disappeared in a gathering of shadows, its treat eaten. She took a moment to hand his son a bottle of water before expounding on the subject. It was another piece of information that she had thought very carefully about how to deliver to people, balancing between the actual truth and what was sheer fabrication.

''In the Kurosawa Clan there has been a legend for many generations, even before the creation of the hidden ninja villages. This legend narrated that Hitomi, the daughter of the first Kurosawa Head Clan had been blessed by Death itself,'' she said, lying through her teeth. She had thought up this tale when Death had pointed out that she would have to give some kind of story in order to explain her almost unbelievable healing skills as no one would have such powers out of nowhere without a reason. ''This girl had taken five minutes to start breathing when she was born and the midwife had almost given up on saving her. Miraculously, she came through and was able to live a long life, even though her health was weak. It was said that Death had regretted in taking her life even before she was born and to compensate her, gave her a boon. It could not improve her body strength against illness but gave her the power to heal other people. As long as the affliction was not due to natural causes, the girl could cure almost anything.''

Everyone was enthralled by the tale she was weaving, even Ichigo, as the boy had never before heard it. For him, everything that his mother could do was considered normal, because he didn't know that everyone else wouldn't be able to do even half of it. So the boy listened attentively, soaking up all that new knowledge.

The ninjas remained silent and simply listened as well, not showing their own opinions on the matter, most likely planning to deliver that information to the Hokage as soon as possible.

''As this had happened so long ago, the people believed it to be merely a myth and the story has been passed down through the generations of the Kurosawa Clan just like their scrolls and heirlooms. This clan was mostly known by their medics – civilian and ninja alike – and their secret medicines that many believed were almost miraculous. It was theorized that to receive this incredible power, one had to be directly touched by Death at least once and no one sane in my family would try to actually do it for the alleged possibility of gaining such talent. Until one time when I was thirteen and I was able to completely heal a pigeon that had been hurt by another animal, I had been the same opinion as well. My grandmother had told me that it was useless to try and saving the bird as it was almost dead and that I would only waste our family's secret medicines on it but I was stubborn and in the end I managed to do the impossible. It was after that that my grandmother told me Hitomi's story and recognized that maybe it wasn't only a legend after all.''

''You mean… you have died once?'' Kakashi asked in a badly hidden incredulous tone.

''Twice, actually,'' she said, rather nonchalantly as if they were discussed the weather and not the fact that she had just admitted that at least her heart had stopped beating on two different occasions in her twenty-two years of life.

Ichigo looked at his mother frowning, not really understanding how a person could really die twice and still be there among the livings.

''Are you a ghost, mum?''

Tsubaki snorted rather unlady-like at her son's question. She passed an arm around his shoulders and kissed him on the head. The boy was simply too cute for words.

The three shinobi were also amused by the question but she could see that they wanted very much to hear the rest of her explanation.

''No, Chi-chan. Sometimes, people are so hurt or sick that their hearts may stop beating for a few minutes but with quick and proper help it's possible for the heart to start working again. So no, I am not a ghost; see, I can touch you, right?'', she added teasingly, by poking him in the stomach and making him giggle and squirm away from that hand.

The three men gawked at Tsubaki like she was an enigma – which, she acknowledged to herself, in fact she was, at least to them – and silently asked to expound more on that 'little detail'.

''The first time was when I was only fifteen months old. The house where I had lived with my parents and grandmother burned to the ground; my parents didn't make it. I inhaled too much smoke and stopped breathing for a few minutes, thankfully my grandmother was able to save me,'' she explained rather matter-of-factly. She was lying, of course, but she believed that if she freely offered information about her past easily then it would show to anyone that she had nothing to hide and people would be less likely suspicious of her and go around trying to find more about her life in the Land of Tea. However, she had to give the impression that as tragic as her past was, she had come to terms with it and now could talk about it without problems – she didn't want to give anyone the idea, as ridiculous as it would be, that they could play with her weakness, which in this case would be her dead family. ''The second time happened when I was twelve. I was bitten by a snake, which had deadly venom and made my heart stop for around five minutes but, again, I survived.

''I say that my grandmother saved me but it wasn't only thanks to her prompt help as a medic that I came through. In all honesty, she had stated that I should have died, at least the second time; there is no known antidote to that viper's venom and all her efforts to save me were more absolute desperation than actually any kind of conceivable cure, but miraculously I survived and recovered, fully shocking everyone. Then I went and saved a wounded bird from certain death and it was then that she started to believe that there was something more to Hitomi's legend than just an ancient clan story.

''I'm able to heal practically any wound, once I even regrew a hand back from absolutely nothing. The only impossibilities that I'm aware of, at the moment, are re-growing any brain matter and create eyes from scratch, if they are damaged then I have no problem with it.'' Evidently, she had done nothing of this before; it was simply an overview that Death had given her of her healing powers, but she was confident that she could do it with enough power and concentration. ''However, I'm absolutely powerless against nature. If the cause is natural, even a simple cold or an allergy for example, my powers are completely useless. That is why I was not able to save my grandmother as she died of old age.''

It was true. For all the incredible powers she had gained by mastering the Deathly Hallows, she could do nothing against nature, against Death itself. As Death had explained to her, the moment one is born, their time of death is already marked and no one ever lives past this point in time, with the obvious exception of turned vampires and other magical creatures with unnatural long lives and people who found something which could help them live longer – such as the famous Philosophal Stone, Horcrux, etc. However this only includes their natural death; if one is murdered, or has an accident caused by other people, it doesn't count and thus Tsubaki was completely free to heal anyone.

This story was as close as she could get to reveal the truth of her most exceptional powers without outright claiming to be the Mistress of Death. She was sure that, as accepting as the Konoha ninja population seemed to be of peculiar and nearly impossible powers, such as kekkai genkai, they would most certainly not react too well to someone who could allegedly command Death itself. They would likely try to apprehend her and/or kill her outright in fear of her eventually turning against them or consider her some kind of goddess and worship the ground she stepped on and sooner or later expect her to solve their problems for them, just like the wizarding world had done before.

She inwardly shuddered at that. Never again she wished to be in a position like that. It was for that reason that she had left her world and there was no power on Earth that could force her to disclose her unique title to anyone.

The shinobi seemed to be gobsmacked with her story – or as close to it as they could get with their trained facial expressions. Ichigo was happy to simply listen to his mother and absorb all this new information. Tsubaki knew that he'd come to her later with questions about it when he had time to process everything.

''So…'', Hayate started before coughing once more, his tone hesitantly hopeful. ''So you can cure this?''

''Sure, I just need to see inside your lungs for a moment to make sure of what exactly is the problem and then I'll give you an elixir that will take care of it right away,'' Tsubaki assured the man confidently. She was almost sure that whatever was wrong with the man's lungs could be healed with the Lung Clearing Infection Potion and then the standard healing charm to help speed the process along, but it never hurt to confirm one's theories.

''Inside?'', Gai asked confused with a frown which made his brows seem like a very black and disturbing caterpillar.

''I'll just put my hands on his chest and I'll send chakra – '' or rather magic, '' – through his lungs and I'll be able to see it clearly in my mind's eye,'' she explained patiently.

''Alright,'' Hayate agreed after a last significant look exchanged between Kakashi and him.

Silently, Tsubaki proceeded to do what she had just explained. Everyone was watching intently, not that they could actually see anything for the moment.

In her mind, the young witch could see it clearly. In some places, the lungs' flesh was darker than others, almost black, and reminded Tsubaki almost of a heavy smoker's. After a few more seconds of careful perusal, she ascertained that there was nothing else wrong beyond that and gently withdrew her magic.

She had been assured by Death that the feeling of magic inside a person in this world was not unlike another's chakra in the person's system so she wasn't worried that Hayate would feel something vastly different from when a medic-nin was performing a scanning through medical Jutsu.

When Tsubaki opened her eyes, she had four pair of expectant eyes on her.

''It's just as I assume,'' she said with a reassuring smile before she retrieved the intended potion from its place in her box and offered to the sick man. ''Swallow it all in one go. It tastes nastily but will do the job quickly. After a minute, you'll more than likely have the urge to vomit – your body will automatically expel the noxious substance – so don't fight it.''

At hearing the last part, everyone backed away some steps, not wishing to be close. Hayate seemed to convince himself to drink the nasty-tasting potion and closed his eyes before dawning it in one swallow as the young woman suggested. Conspicuously, she shot him a healing charm a few seconds afterwards to accelerate the rate of the potion's effects before taking Ichigo in her arms and averting the boy's attention from the upcoming unpleasant scene. Kakashi and Gai, however, didn't take their eyes of their comrade, intent of acting in a heartbeat if something turned wrong.

Now, one could say that Hayate had been too trusting in taking an unknown substance from a woman they barely knew anything at all. However, he trusted his teammates to have his back if something unpleasant and unexpected happened to him and it was, at the same time, a test to Namikaze Tsubaki. They would be able to see what the woman was actually capable of and if she had some kind of untoward intentions against the Konoha shinobi when one of them was vulnerable. She was aware of it all and she suspected as well that, as soon as they reached Konoha, Hayate would not waste any time in checking at the Hospital if her claims about the status of his chronic sickness were truthful.

The man couldn't hide the grimace that took over his face when he swallowed the foul concoction; Tsubaki had never had the displeasure of drinking this particular potion, but she had taken more than her fair share of many others through the years at Hogwarts and she could easily imagine what this one tasted like. As she waited for the inevitable retching, she took out a bottle of iced tea for the man to drink after, so he could wash away the taste of the potion and the poison from his mouth.

Sure enough, around a minute later, Hayate was on his hands and knees expelling some kind of viscous, black substance onto the ground. His companions were tensed, as if ready to fight at a second's notice. Tsubaki, however, was calm as she distracted her son with idle talk about what he had seen from up high with Nox.

After another minute, it seemed that Hayate was finished and the man stood weakly up to his feet. Tsubaki offered him the bottle of tea.

''It's iced tea to wash away the taste,'' she explained when he didn't take it right away. ''It's a little bitter – you can't take sugar right after as it will interact badly with the medicine.''

Hayate nodded in thanks and finally accepted the drink, which he proceeded to down quickly. Kakashi and Gai still were eying their friend suspiciously, waiting for his verdict.

''So, how do you feel, my friend?'', Gai asked curiously when Hayate finished his tea.

''I've never felt better,'' he stated in awe and surprise, before he smiled at them all.

This action changed his features making him look much younger than Tsubaki had previously believed to be his age. She supposed that this sickness had taken its toll on the man and now it seemed like a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

Tsubaki felt accomplished and a little bit smug, not that it showed on her face. Hayate was the first person she had actually healed. Before this, all she had known was theory and had zero practice, but it seemed that she was very capable, a fact that she was more than happy with.

''I am certain that all the poison has been expelled from your body without any kind of after-effects but I'll be more at ease if you check at the Hospital in Konoha later to make sure,'' she said very matter-of-factly, after she had put her son once more on the ground. She was completely sure that everything was alright in this case; however, she didn't to give them the impression that she was absolutely infallible in healing because, for one, they would check at the hospital nonetheless, as they didn't trust her completely in that, for other, she didn't want to be viewed as infallible either as that would put unnecessary expectations on her that she didn't want and it was still possible that she could make a mistake like anyone else, if she used a potion that wasn't the most appropriated to heal something for example.

''Thank you very much, Tsubaki-san,'' Hayate bowed to her in deep appreciation of her actions and she had to fight a blush at the sight. She was never very comfortable when people sincerely thanked her for something she had done (even after all these years in the Wizarding World, she had felt a little uncomfortable when people had thanked her for defeating Voldemort, well when the person showing appreciation was sincere and not just saying for the sake of appearances threaded with a (un)subtle jab that had been her duty to do it anyway).

''It was nothing,'' the young witch said a little awkwardly, before she cleared her throat and turned to the other two ninjas. ''Are you hurt, Kakashi-san, Gai-san?''

''Oh, I'm completely alright, Tsubaki-san,'' Gai was quick to answer with a brilliant smile and, what she came to call in her head after witnessing a few times already, a nice guy pose. It seemed that the previous tense minutes were gone and forgotten, at least for now. ''Only a few bruises, which are nothing against the bright flames of youth!''

''I'm also unhurt, Tsubaki-san, thank you for asking,'' Kakashi assured her with a prompt eye-smile, which the woman still wasn't sure how genuine was every time she saw it.

Tsubaki nodded in acknowledgement of their words, glad that it was the case, and busied herself packing her potions box and the first-aid kit and stuffing them on her small bag.

''Were you able to retrieve the name of the person who ordered those ninjas to attack me?'', she asked when turned in direction of the beaten path to continue their journey as if the last half an hour had not happened at all. She had no idea what they had done to the remaining two ninja alive as she had been concentrated in healing Hayate, she just knew that she couldn't sense them at all anymore.

''For someone who had been in a dangerous situation not too long ago, you seem to take this very calmly, Tsubaki-san,'' Kakashi pointed out banally with a raised brow and a slight tilt of the head, as he finally acknowledged out loud what they had seen during the fight. ''In fact, we have not been told that you were capable of fighting at all.''

''Yes, Tsubaki-san, your flames were the brightest!'' Gai stated grandly with a thumbs up and a smile, apparently not concerned by their lack of information before-hand. ''You fought amazingly well for someone without ninja training!''

''Thank you, Gai-san,'' Tsubaki said a little embarrassed to be the object of such flowery compliment. ''I may not have had any ninja training but that does not mean I'm defenceless. In the end, I am part of two old Ninja Clans even though my parents and grandmother were civilians, and I learned many things from a young age from the Uzumaki and Kurosawa scrolls, including how to fight. A woman alone is always considered an easy target and I always did my best to not be such,'' she explained earnestly. ''As for my reaction to this situation – I was already aware that I would be a target, only I didn't know exactly from whom the attack would come. I may have never known my brother but I know very well that he had more than his fair share of enemies when he was alive, mainly due to the last war. With my stay at the palace, it was no secret to whom I was closely related to and I am sure that my existence was told to anyone with an interest, be it allies or enemies of Konoha. I'm not that naïve to believe that anyone who loathed Namikaze Minato wouldn't take revenge on him through me given half a chance. After all, it was especially for this reason that the Daimyo had demanded from the Hokage a team of his best shinobis, it was not?

''So, no, I wasn't really that shocked that Iwa ninjas wanted to kill me just a while ago. I knew that it would eventually happen and took pre-emptive measures to help me when the situation would call for it. I'm used to defend myself and with my son safe and out of the way, I have no trouble in fighting back when it's necessary. And I'll do it again and again and every time that will be needed.''

Kakashi nodded wordlessly at that, acknowledging her explanation – or rather, it was more a rant. Until she had started to speak, she hadn't even known that she had so much pent-up frustration and aggravation inside her, which she now assumed was due to her long-standing treatment by the Wizarding World.

Tsubaki wouldn't allow them or anyone else to think that she wasn't aware of the risks she was taking by travelling that road in broad daylight and completed exposed to anyone who was near. She was not doing any of this blindly without acknowledging her apparent importance to Konoha as a future citizen of the village and the big, red target she had put on her and Ichigo's backs when she had declared to be the Yondaime Hokage's sister. She wanted to show them without saying it out loud that she was a woman who knew what she wanted and what she had to do to get it and that just because she had never had ninja training it didn't mean that she would let anyone walk over her or order her around – not the Hokage, not the Civilian Council, no one.

 _Anyone who believes that they will be able to, have another thing coming, and it will not be pleasant at all._


	6. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER (I usually forget): I don't own Harry Potter nor Naruto.

Hello! Thank you to everyone who has been reading this. I've been blown away by the response to this story. You're the best!

This chapter is a short one but is completely in Kakashi's POV. I tried to get inside his head and write about his observations of Tsubaki but I'm not sure how successful I was in that.

if there are some glaring misspellings, don't hesitate in letting me know as I have no beta.

 **One question for you all:** what magical creatures/animals you'd like Tsubaki to have due to the Deathly Hallows? The few I have decided for now are in some way related to death, of course – the thestral, eventually I'll insert a grim somewhere… they may or may not be completely similar to other versions of it. If anyone has some idea, please let me know and I'll properly credit you if I end up using that idea.

Anyway, enjoy the next chapter and please tell me what you think of Kakashi. He's alright? Too OOC?

oOo

 **AN2:** After reading through this chapter I found it somewhat lacking and decided to add a few more things. Basically, it is the same thing just with a bit more information which hopefully will answer some of your questions. Tell me what you think!

* * *

 _ **Interlude** (noun): an intervening period of time; an interval._

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CHAPTER 5 – Kakashi's Interlude

When the Hokage had dropped that unexpected bombshell on the three of them, Kakashi had been so utterly shocked that his mind had blanked for a few minutes before starting to process the new information. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought that Minato-Sensei – who he had considered like a father-figure during his childhood and later like a nagging but caring older brother and his only living family until his death – could possibly have any remaining living family in the world.

Ever since Kakashi had met the man from the first time, he had known that he was an orphan from a young age and had no other blood living relative. It was one of the factors which had helped him getting closer to Minato after Sakumo had killed himself. They were both orphans and completely alone in the world, there was no one out there who could claim being related to any of them. Despite being a genius, Minato had to fight on his own to achieve his goals without a Ninja Clan backing him up and helping him on his way and the same could be said about Kakashi, even though his mentor had supported him as much as possible in his Ninja Career.

So, it was really not that surprising that Kakashi was having some – or rather, a large amount of – difficulty in accepting this information without freaking out inside. Frankly, he didn't know how he should feel about it.

Oh, he was suspicious and more than a little doubtful about this mysterious woman, alright, even though the DNA tests seemed to be indisputable. After being a (very effective) shinobi for so long, he simply could not take something like this at face-value before he confirmed it himself, no matter what anyone else said about it.

All these thoughts and suspicions passed through his mind, though he didn't voice any of them. He was sure that Gai and Hayate were thinking along the same lies as well – a good shinobi was always wary of the unknown, after all; a ninja who trusted easily was soon a dead one, undeniably. He had determined that his best tactic for the moment would be to wait and see what he could learn about Namikaze Tsubaki through their journey back to the village, before he decided on his opinion about her.

The three of them had reached the Daimyo's Palace around seven in the morning to find the woman they had been ordered to escort back to Konoha with a little boy at her side. At their sudden appearance, she didn't react badly; she didn't jump in fright or gave any outward signs of being upset for being taken by surprise. It was like she had sensed them coming – which, he later found out, was quite possible as she seemed to be a sensor of some kind.

At first glance, Tsubaki seemed to be a delicate and petite woman who appeared quite unthreatening even by civilian standards; even her chakra reserves seemed to be minimal from what he could sense without the aid of his Sharingan. However, Kakashi knew that appearances were often deceiving, so this detail was not really important in his assessment of the young woman. He had to admit, though, even if only to himself, that the woman's facial features were remarkably similar to Minato's own, even their embarrassed expressions were eerily alike. Her hair was an Uzumaki red – long and slightly unruly even in a ponytail – and her eyes were the most brilliant green he had ever seen in his entire life, they were almost like emeralds.

One point in her favour was that she had all the Namikaze family facts right. Minato had once told him about his family and how he came to be an orphan and needless to say, it was something that the then-young Kakashi had never forgotten.

Kakashi didn't know exactly what to expect from Tsubaki personality-wise even if she, in fact, was truly Minato-sensei's sister and not a very good impostor. Would she behave like a spoiled brat and arrogant with the knowledge that she was the sister of the famous Yondaime, and thus believing she should be treated like royalty? Or would she be a naïve little girl who didn't know better than foolishly spread around her close blood ties with a dead man, who until this day had still many enemies all around the world anxious to take their revenge on anything that remained close to the hated Yellow Flash? Honestly, he hadn't thought much about it but he was sure that whatever he had been expecting was most certainly not what he'd gotten.

From the little he had perceived up until now, Tsubaki-san seemed to be a confident young woman, calm and collected, and openly affectionate with her son. He had been surprised that she had never complained, not even once, all morning about being tired or demanded that they stop for a break; hell, she had carried her son on her back all along and made it seem like the boy didn't wait more than a pound. Independently of her true identity, the woman, sure as hell, was resilient and self-reliant.

And let's not even talk about her son – a Uchiha? Who would have ever thought?

If discovering that Namikaze Minato had an unknown half-sister, who had appeared suddenly as if from nowhere, had been a shock and half, finding with his own eye that there was at least one more Uchiha alive – one that apparently no one knew of – one year after that dreadful massacre, was simply beyond words. He just knew that the Council would not remain quiet about this even if their lives depended on it.

Kakashi could practically feel the incoming headache at that mess, because he simply knew that the Sandaime would in some way, somehow, getting him involved in the middle of it – be it under orders to protect the small family from outside threats or unobtrusively gathering more information on them from up close to assuage the curiosity and misgivings of the unrelenting higher-ups. He was, after all, the student of her dead brother, the only person alive who could claim to have known him best, as he had lived with him for many years, and he wasn't under any delusion that the Council would hesitate in capitalize in that fact to further whatever plans they had.

Kakashi had the impression that with each hour passing the mystery that was Namikaze Tsubaki, instead of lessening, was gradually expanding.

Firstly, even though the woman had never had ninja training, she was able to fight and keep up without great effort against a strong shinobi – he had deduced that the man she had battled with was a High Chunnin or Low Jonin – something that not just everyone could do effortlessly and seeing that she was a civilian woman was even a more impressive feat. He hadn't been able to pay much attention, since he was rather occupied himself, but he could see that she moved seamlessly with her staff, speaking of long hours of practise at least. There was something more to the way she fought than only Taijutsu (or whatever martial art she had used with combination with her weapon), though. That heart-stopping moment when he had seen the Iwa ninja attempt skewering Tsubaki with a very deadly Earth Jutsu, he had completely believed her dead and had impulsively seen red; he couldn't really recall what exactly he had done to his own opponent before he found himself charging at the other man and getting ready to plunge a _Chidori_ straight through the enemy's chest without a single tangible thought passing through his mind. And then, inexplicably, unbelievably, the woman had appeared completely whole and unharmed nowhere near where she had been only seconds before. Kakashi hadn't seen how she had moved – hell, he hadn't even known she had done it until he saw her after – and could not imagine a justifiable way for it. That wasn't a Shunshin or a Kawarimi, not even the Flying Thunder God Technique or something advanced like it; she had simply vanished from a place and instantaneously and soundlessly appeared on another without the aid of hand-seals or even chakra.

Secondly, she apparently owned a Summoning Contract with some kind of bizarre creatures. Kakashi hadn't been much disturbed by the beast itself, even though he had found it more than a little creepy – after almost twenty as an active shinobi and participating in a war, he could say that he had already witnessed his fair share of very unusual things and thus had learned just to eye-smile and mostly roll with it – and he assumed that it had belonged to the Kurosawa Clan, but what made him really curious was how the woman could do such a feat when one needed a substantial amount of chakra to pull it through, which as mentioned previously he believed it was rather limited in her body.

And let's not even mention her formidable Killing Intent, which from someone untrained was absolutely unheard of. Kakashi could admit in the confines of his own mind that it had even made him pause for a moment, feeling that ridiculously strong and deadly pressure against him seemingly out of nowhere. He doubted that any ninja lower than, at least, high Chunnin could have stood long against it without immediately crumbling in striking fear. And it had happened without outside provocation whatsoever. He just didn't know how that could even be possible!

Besides all that, it seemed that Tsubaki had a particular extraordinary kekkai genkai, or as she had stated, apparently she ''had been blessed by Death itself'' and could practically cure any ailment as long as it wasn't due to natural causes. At first, Kakashi had scoffed (inwardly, of course) at such outrageous statement (he had heard old stories about how the Sharingan had originated from a demon's long ago but he had never believed it – it was most likely that it had derived from the Byakugan, not that any self-respecting Uchiha had ever admitted to such a preposterous rumour). And then her claims that she could promptly heal Hayate without even examining him beforehand had him more than a little cynical and incredulous – the medical staff at Konoha Hospital had been trying for years and had never found a permanent effective treatment and they had all the medical equipment they could need and long-time research to find it.

However, when the woman unfalteringly did just that, he didn't really know what to believe anymore. The sheer possibilities of that kind of healing power were absolutely staggering. He didn't know much about healing but he could say with complete confidence that Senju Tsunade had nothing on her from the little he had seen. If Tsubaki were willing to cure some of the long-time out-of-commission shinobi due to irreversible damage or sickness – unknown poisons, amputated limbs, extensive scar tissue, severe nerve damage, etc. – Konoha would quickly be the village with the greatest active shinobi force in the Elemental Nations and thus the strongest and most influential; not to mention what an amazing asset she would be to the Medical Forces and thus to the village, as he was sure the Council would not be shy in advertising Tsubaki's supreme healing skills to prospective clients and allies.

Eventually, this will mean more attempts at her life by their enemies and thus more work to the shinobis protecting her. Thankfully, the woman was not defenceless; however, it will remain to be seen if she will accept their protection easily enough and follow their directions to avoid unnecessary problems or if they'll have to do their jobs from the shadows and hope for the best – something that shinobi simply didn't do, being optimist that is.

(Kakashi could practically feel another headache coming his way. For the small rant, he had gathered that Namikaze Tsubaki was a proud and strong young woman who had no problem in fighting with everything she had for what she wanted and to protect her precious people. He was sure she was someone who wouldn't take kindly to be ordered on what to do with her powers and to be used by greedy politicians in their control games to gain more power and money. He didn't know who to pity: Tsubaki or the Civilian Council; somehow, he felt that it would be the old bastards who would be on the losing side – not that he was really sad for that.)

After he recovered from this latest shock – aka the first rant of many more to come of Tsubaki – Kakashi shoved all these new concerns aside and simply plastered his lazy and cheerful mask back once more and eye-smiled.

 _Maa, maa, no use in thinking about troubling things now. There will be enough time for it when we reach the village, for now I'd better enjoy this peace while it lasts. One thing is for certain, though, with Namikaze Tsubaki and her son in Konoha, I'm sure that things will be very entertaining and interesting._


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.

The response to this story was been astounding and I couldn't be happier. Thank you!

Before continuing, **I slightly rewrote the last chapter** ; if you didn't notice it, please go read it first. There's more information included in Kakashi's POV.

Someone wondered about the potion given to the Daimyo: it's nothing really too powerful, like liquid Imperius or something like that. The potion only makes them consider Tsubaki as a long-time and trusted friend: someone you can confide with, but in no way forces their will into anything they clearly don't want to nor she can tell them to do something and they will do it without questions. In the end, their judgement is their own and any decisions they take are by their own free will, they are only a bit more inclined to agree than they would be without the potion. Sure, she can try to easily persuade them into making a decision or siding with her in a conflict, for example, but that's something that anyone else can do if they have a very good way with words or something the other person wants (like a bribe), so to speak.

 **An important question:** what is exactly Naruto's age? It's around a year after the Uchiha Massacre and it's the middle of December right now in the story and Itachi was 14. (Mia/Tsubaki travelled worlds on the November 15th and spent around a month with the Daimyo). I thought Naruto was 9 but a reviewer said that he would be 10. As I'm not sure anymore if someone can give me the accurate age, I'll be very grateful.

There is another note at the bottom.

Tell me what you think, because as always, your opinions are very much appreciated.

* * *

''Do not try to fight a lion if you are not one yourself.'' – African Proverb

* * *

Chapter 6 - Under Attack: Round Two

''This attack has been commissioned by an Elder Councilman from Iwagakure,'' Kakashi said almost nonchalantly, politely ignoring Tsubaki's annoyed outburst. ''It seems that after learning of your existence, the Tsuchikage has decided to wait on what to do for the moment, but someone from the Council had other ideas and went behind his back and ordered this team to eliminate their target at all costs and bring your son alive to Iwa if possible.''

For a moment, Tsubaki internally seethed at hearing that – not at the fact they had orders to kill her on sight, no, but the fact they wanted to take her son away from her, most likely to brainwash and shape him as a valuable weapon against their enemies. It would be a very severe blow against Konoha: one of the very few remaining Uchiha under their absolute command – even better, one they had never been aware of – to pit against his village of origin. Oh, she could see the dark irony in that!

Worriedly, she looked down at Ichigo happily walking at her side, before she let a light sigh of relief. Luckily, he seemed to be distracted looking around and didn't hear what Kakashi had just said. He may not understand fully what that meant but she was sure that the little boy would recognize that if that had happened it would most certainly not be a good thing.

She didn't even bother asking how Iwa ninjas were able to find out about her location and intended destination. After she had lived the last month in the Daimyo's palace, she had discovered that not many things were kept secret as the Staff and frequent guests were much too fond of gossiping about the going-on happenings to be able to ever hide anything and she was not naïve to dismiss the possibility of existing spies amidst them. And it's not like she had ever tried very hard to conceal her supposed origins while there, anyway. The sight of Ichigo and Tsubaki leaving the city in the company of three Konoha shinobis had been very clear to anyone they had encountered on their way as well, so she really wasn't surprised that someone had tried to target her so soon after she left the Capital and had accurate information on her.

Understandably, she didn't like it at all, but she couldn't really say that she was surprised about it.

After Tsubaki had calmed down, she simply nodded in silent understanding, not wishing to dwell on that any longer. She didn't even want to know what Kakashi had done to retrieve such information and what would be the fate of the remaining enemy ninja alive – if they were even still alive, that is – preferring leaving that matter in the Konoha shinobis' capable hands.

* * *

The rest of that day passed smoothly with all of them mostly silent. Ichigo would babble something now and then to which his mother would respond in kind, but for the most part no one talked, each immersed in their own thoughts.

Overall, Tsubaki was quite pleased with the way things were progressing.

She had had the chance to relieve some tension fighting that Iwa shinobi and didn't feel so anxious anymore. Sure, she knew that they had still a long way to go until reaching Konoha and that there was still a great possibility of being attacked again. However, she felt a little better after her prediction had been proved. It was always better, in her opinion at least, when one could predict how one's enemies would generally operate; you never would be caught completely by surprise then and could act accordingly.

The young witch had had the opportunity to show the Konoha ninjas that she was in no way a damsel in distress and had absolutely no problem in taking a stance and defend herself in a fight whenever the occasion called for it. She had showcased her healing abilities in a natural fashion, without being seen as bragging or lying, and significantly helped a shinobi, who had all but resigned himself to live with his sickness for the rest of his life. Evidently, she was more than happy in healing someone in need, but demonstrating her worth in the process was a very huge bonus, all things considered. Each and every action and word would be relayed to the Hokage and she wanted to make sure that he and everyone else would know that she wasn't someone who was weak, naïve or accommodating to anyone who believed themselves better and more powerful than everyone else. She would be a powerful asset to their village and Tsubaki was clearly aware of this fact. They would need to be careful with their actions and attitudes towards her if they wished to maintain her there. She had absolutely no compunction in hurrying her plans along and leave Konoha after she had accomplished them if she believed that it wouldn't be pleasant to live there in the long run. Her time as saviour of the world had already passed and her only goals now were to protect her most important people and accomplish the mission that the Daimyo had given her. She would not simply stand by and let her family suffer unnecessarily, Prophecy be damned!

Tsubaki was more than glad that she had taken the time to read all those books and scrolls about the Land of Fire and Konoha's general politics and laws when she had stayed at the palace. Mainly the Konoha's Clans general by-laws had given her much insight on what she could expect with her stay at Konoha; the rights and duties of Clan Heads had been soundly imprinted into her mind. She was sure that anyone who would want to put their noses where they didn't belong and meddle in her affairs – personal and professional – would try to get information out of her at all costs and she would not put it past any of them to force her into anything or outright demand her to explain her peculiar healing powers and any other skill they couldn't explain logically. Thankfully, she was well-protected with her Diplomatic Immunity and mostly everything else important fell under Clan affairs, which no outsider had any say or power in.

Their overall political principles were too similar to Dumbledore's _'Greater Good'_ for her tastes – the end justified the means, or rather, to benefit everyone, a small number of people had to suffer or even die to bring these benefits about and the old wizard hadn't even cared that some of those sacrificed were innocent children if he could accomplish his plans; which was something that had sickened and perturbed Camellia Potter deeply when she had found out. Sure, she could understand that it was the way this new world seemed to work but she didn't have to like it or simply follow their rules like a mindless sheep. Thankfully, she had never been good at following rules and it was not now she was going to change her personality and opinions for the sake of others who really didn't matter that much in her life. It was always good to know that she could breathe a little easier with the knowledge that she was fairly protected from meddlesome bastards' interfering, though.

Anyway, it was a known fact – at least among shinobi – that it was quite offensive and downright inappropriate to ask about one's allies secret clan techniques, at least in Konoha (she didn't know if the other villages followed the same belief, but she supposed that it didn't really matter to her anyway). They were called 'secret' for a reason, after all. No one would bat an eyelash if they did that to enemies, in fact it would be expected of them to get all the information they could get out of them; however, doing the same to a comrade was simply not done and more than severely frowned upon. She was sure that no one sane enough would demand ninjas from clans like the Uchiha, Hyuuga, Yamanaka and many others, to simply disclose in depth their secret techniques to their comrades without very heavy repercussions; at best, they usually only gave an overall explanation, meaning if they were some kind of Elemental Ninjutsu or a type of Genjutsu, for example, so their respective teammates would be aware of their companions' skills and integrate it in their teamwork. In fact, she was certain that not even the Third Hokage knew much detail about them and Sarutobi Hiruzen had been dubbed 'The Professor', due to his mastery of all forms of shinobi combat and reputed for having advanced knowledge and/or skill of all techniques to ever exist within Konoha, with the clear exception of Clan techniques.

So Tsubaki was not surprised that her shinobi companions had not commented about the Thestral and stopped asking questions when she had mentioned that her fighting skills and such were learned from the Uzumaki and Kurosawa scrolls. All the information she had disclosed up until now had been of her free will and she knew that they wouldn't ask more sensitive questions about her techniques and 'secret medicines' now that they were aware that it was a clan matter and they eventually could severely step beyond the polite line and potentially 'offend' her somehow.

For now, everyone seemed content to just walk in silence and Tsubaki was alright with it.

* * *

When the sky started darkening, Kakashi decided that they would stop for the day and set up camp for the night.

Tsubaki efficiently set up her tent manually (lamenting inwards that she couldn't just do it magically, as she was a bit tired) and offered to make dinner to everyone. After their reluctantly acceptance of lunch, she was pleasantly surprise that they had agreed without a fuss. She was completely capable of starting a fire with a flick of her wrist, evidently, but wisely decided to leave the job for the shinobi. She was sure that they had received enough shocks for the day and she didn't want to bruise their manly egos or something if they saw that she really didn't need them to do any of it.

The same reasoning was applied after their meal when they settled for the night. She could have easily erected a protection ward around all of them and thus permit that everyone would get a full night of sleep. However, she had thought that it was better if she didn't disclose that particular skill for now. It was wise that she kept some things secret for now as she didn't wish to be seen as too much powerful from the beginning and increasing their suspicious unnecessarily. So, she had simply layered the inside of her small tent with standard protective and approaching wards and spelling the sleeping bag with cushioning and warming charms and had gathered her son in her arms, sleeping comfortably through the night.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and early, the forest animals coming to life and waking the three adults almost at the same time (Gai had the last watch shift and thus he was already awake). Tsubaki readied herself for the long day of travel ahead letting Ichigo sleep a few more blissful minutes peacefully. She had cast a few freshening charms on her person, including one that was a light substitute for brushing teeth, even though she believed that the manual act was much more throughout, for now it would do.

''Tsubaki-san,'' Hayate called from outside the tent as she put on her boots.

''I'll be right there in a minute,'' the young woman answered back, before she went about waking her son and freely casting the same charms on him.

This time it was Kakashi who prepared their breakfast and Tsubaki offered some coffee, which she had prepared with grounded beans and appropriated coffee pot that she had pulled from her bottomless bag. It was eagerly accepted by the three men. She was happy that their distrust of her – at least, drinks and food-wise – was inexistent now.

* * *

The morning progressed just like the previous one, right to the three ninjas' actions: Gai claiming about 'youth' and now and then trying to draw his eternal-rival into a challenge, Kakashi reading in his orange book and unashamedly snubbing the green-clad ninja and Hayate blatantly ignoring his two friends' antics.

Tsubaki had restrained herself from thinking about the objectionable book's contents and had to fight a laugh at them whenever Gai sprouted something more outrageous than his already usual strange tirades. She wondered if this was a normal occurrence or if they were behaving that way for her benefit; somehow she believed that it was their typical way of interacting with each other with or without witnesses.

They had passed by two large caravans of merchants, each escorted by Konoha shinobis, who had silently and respectfully greeted them before continuing on their way. Except for them, they didn't see anyone else along their path.

After another lunch which Tsubaki had offered from another huge bento box that she extracted from her bag and had been promptly accepted by everyone, the young witch started to become antsy again. They were only a few hours from Konoha and she couldn't ignore the bad feeling that something was going to happen before then. Aside the people they had crossed that morning, Tsubaki hadn't sensed another soul.

Sure enough, about an hour from Konoha, Tsubaki felt six people enter her sensor range and promptly stiffened. They seemed to be lying in wait hidden in the trees, most likely wanting to ambush them on the path ahead.

''There are six people ahead in about one hundred metres lying in wait, three on each side of the road,'' she stated bluntly barely above a whisper, squeezing her son's hand tighter on her own but not displaying any other outwards sign that she had realized something was amiss.

The shinobis swiftly straightened their countenances and their eyes automatically darted around searching for danger. She was glad that they didn't question her on it. After the last time, they were aware that her sensing skills were very much accurate.

''How do we proceed, Captain?'', Hayate asked after a few seconds, hand poised on his katana and ready to draw it.

''We can't just stop here,'' Kakashi mused out loud, expression and voice utterly serious, and resumed walking and they all followed. ''We'll continue but with caution. Tsubaki-san, please, as soon as they charge, step back. I know you are capable but –''

Whatever he was going to say was abruptly cut off when what appeared dozens of shurinken started raining down on them seemingly from nowhere, forcing them to dodge and jump away, openly separate them from each other, which was followed by a very bright flash of light. Tsubaki sensed them coming but she was practically blind for a few seconds and only noticed Ichigo being wrenched away from her hand a second too late.

''MUMMY!'', the boy screamed in fright as he felt someone grab him around his middle and take him away from his mother so quickly that barely a second had passed.

Tsubaki felt her blood turn ice-cold and a vicious fury consume her whole body as she finally regained her sight and saw her son being roughly manhandled by an unknown ninja a few feet away from her. The man smirked evilly at her as he proceeded in laying a kunai dangerously too close to Ichigo's throat. The boy whimpered in distress but wisely tried to stay as still as he could.

Damnit, they had ambushed them good, she hadn't expected them at all to be so far away from their trap.

She knew that his son was fairly protected against physical threats (such as a punch or a kick and to a certain extent a weapon), poisons and mind intrusions and she would be able to find Ichigo anywhere – what with all the tracking and protection spells and charms she had wrapped him on – but all of them weren't enough against a kunai directly to the throat, at best it would delay the action for a few seconds before the spell gave in under the force of the attack.

Around the young witch, she idly noted that there were several fights going on, but she didn't pay them any mind; the only important thing right now was saving her son. She hadn't wanted to show any blatant spell even before reaching Konoha but it was a moot point now. She wouldn't hesitate in doing whatever it needed to be done to eliminate someone who intended to hurt her son.

There was no more Wizarding World for her to indiscriminately save. There was no need to be the little good, light saviour anymore. There was no bigoted, mindless sheep to point their fingers at her and accuse her of being a dark witch. She could be herself and there was no one who could prevent her for doing what she believed needed to be done – not for the greater good nor the Wizarding World, but for her precious people.

Furiously, she quickly went through her mind searching for the best way to get her son away from the man before she took care of him.

 _Permanently_.

''Look what we have here,'' the ninja, who she idly recognized by his headband was from Kumo, drawled lazily, his grip on the boy's harm visibly tight and his other hand steady with the kunai against Ichigo's carotid.

The man was either much more resilient than she thought or was simply too stupid to feel it, but the Killing Intent Tsubaki was leaking at that moment would have even the Hokage think twice before retaliating.

''After those worthless Iwa dogs lost so pitifully against you, I thought that you would give us a bit more of a fight, hum? Well, it seems that it was just a lucky shot,'' he laughed arrogantly at that and his hand unconsciously shook with the mirthful action and moved away a few inches from the boy's throat.

Not wasting time, Tsubaki shot him a slightly overpowered Jelly-Legs Curse with a flick of her fingers. The man's legs promptly collapsed and let go of the boy as he did so, and Ichigo – bless his very sweet, adorable and prodigious soul – jumped to the side and away from him, but before the ninja touched the ground, she was already summoning another of the creatures under her command as Mistress of Death.

The grim appeared in a gathering of shadows not unlike the thestral had done so before. The animal was a big jet-black dog with a pair of yellow eyes that could gleam in a very ominous way when threatening an opponent. Tsubaki had been surprised the first time she had seen it as it was quite different from what people usually described it as, and it rather reminded her of her late godfather's animagus form. Mamoru – meaning 'to protect' in Japanese – was a fierce and deadly magical creature. Its main strengths were to protect (as its name indicated) someone physically and attack and it was quite fast as well; it was able to sense an incoming danger against the person it was protecting from a fairly long distance (not quite as long as Tsubaki's senses but still an amazing distance by normal standards), making it an ideal 'watch dog' when Ichigo wanted to play somewhere and his mother was not near the boy to watch over his safety. Anyone who was the target of its sharps teeth would be shredded to ribbons in a matter of seconds, not to mention that a hit from one of his huge paws was quite destructive as well. Surprisingly, it was Ichigo's favourite among all her animals and the grim usually turned into an overgrown and playful puppy in the boy's company when it deemed the location secure.

Without a word exchanged between human and beast, Mamoru quickly reached out to Ichigo – who was shaking slightly due to the rough treatment by the ninja – and crouched in front of him. The boy automatically clasped his tiny arms around the huge animal with no fear whatsoever and jumped on its back. Having the boy secure, the grim swiftly jumped back and looked at its Mistress for more instructions.

''Please, take him in that direction for some distance among the trees, Mamoru,'' Tsubaki ordered pointed behind her but not taking her eyes from the ninja who was still struggling with his uncontrollably shaking legs and cursing up a storm. ''It will be alright, baby,'' she added in assurance to her son, laying a comforting hand on the little boy's back and pushed a bit of soothing magic through her hand and into Ichigo, calming him a bit. She wanted more than anything to check if he was alright but that was not possible right now.

The beast gave something akin to a nod and left as instructed. Tsubaki could have taken Ichigo herself away from the threat and let Mamoru dispose of the man, but she wanted the boy away from all that fight and blood. He was still too young to have to witness such carnage. And that was what it would be in the end, she mused as she idly dodged a blast of wind that came dangerously close, thrown by another Kumo ninja who was fighting against Kakashi. She would not forgive anyone who hurt her beloved son and would take care of it with her own hands, her fury and distress were still too close to the surface and she needed an outlet for it.

''There are few things that I cannot undeniably tolerate,'' she stated, her voice deceitfully calm but oh so, so cold, as she raised her arm in the still-struggling ninja's direction, her KI reaching unprecedented levels. ''Hurting my son is the most critical of them. I'll not forgive anyone who does so. Good bye.''

And with barely another thought and a flick of fingers, she shot another curse at the man, already turning away even before the spell took effect. For a heartbeat, it seemed that nothing would happen but then suddenly the man screamed before he burst in small pieces and completely disintegrated leaving absolutely nothing behind, aside for some dust which was swiftly carried by the wind. She had idly sensed the soul disperse as if it was smoke as soon as the curse had hit.

Despite being more comfortable in using the Dark Arts and knowing the original use of the Killing Curse, Tsubaki still could not bring herself to cast it, due to the numerous bad memories related to it, so she had chosen the Disintegration Curse as a good substitute, seeing as it wasn't messy and was practically instantaneous.

 ** _Thank you Mistress._** She heard Death say but chose to ignore.

It had been the first time Tsubaki had killed someone since she had gained her title. She didn't really know how she should feel about it. She was no stranger to death but it was really the first time she had killed in cold-blood. She had wanted the man dead without a doubt and hadn't hesitated in going through with it.

Before she had travelled worlds, the young witch had thought hard about what her future actions would possibly entail. She had expected that she would need to kill someone eventually. In a world where being a ninja for hire was viewed almost like any other profession, she had easily realized that it would be a much more dangerous place compared to her own world. If she followed the Light Side mentality there – even though she already had abandoned many of their ingrained beliefs – she was sure that she wouldn't be able to survive for long, especially considering the plans she had to accomplish and the village where she would expect to live for the foreseeable future.

Was she a despicable person because of it? She wondered to herself. No, she was not, she ultimately decided. She was only doing it to protect her son and it was the simple situation of 'kill or be killed'; it was not like she went out of her way to murder innocent people with no reason whatsoever.

So, she settled in mourning the fact she had to take a life, but not regretting her actions.

Shoving her philosophic thoughts aside for now, Tsubaki looked around her and promptly dodged an incoming harsh flood directed her way by apparating to near Kakashi's side, who was currently busy fighting against two ninjas – a man and a woman – at once with some difficulty, having just dodged a powerful lightning attack.

''Need some help?'', she asked him lightly as she promptly called her staff to her, when the man in question stopped moving for a second and looked her way.

Kakashi seemed to weight the pros and cons of that question for a moment, breathing hard and eye never leaving the duo he had been fighting.

''Can you fight against a katana?'', he asked as their opponents seemed to be eyeing them warily for an instant as well and lowly discussing between them.

''Sure, no problem,'' Tsubaki was quick to answer even as she felt pleasant surprise inside. She hadn't really expected to be taken up on her offer. It appeared that those two were stronger than she had first believed.

''Alright, she's all yours,'' Kakashi said straightforwardly before turning his attention to the male part of their adversaries and going lightning-fast through hand-seals.

Tsubaki stepped a bit to the side, not wishing to be collateral damage, and promptly took her stance with her bo-staff at the ready. The other woman readied her katana as well and didn't lose time in slicing and stabbing at the young witch in a single-minded and impulsive way that would have impressed Tsubaki and any self-respecting Gryffindor in any other occasion; now, however, she was too busy avoiding being painfully filleted to appreciate any of it, spearing and striking with her own weapon in turn against the Kumo Kunoichi.

Eventually, a move passed through her defence and slashed Tsubaki across her left fore-arm, cutting her a bit deeply and red-blood started to flow instantly from the wound, making her wince and decide that it was high-time she finished that fight as the woman smirked at her smugly, even as she continued attacking her non-stop . She carefully jumped back and away from the hazardous katana, ignoring her injury, and cast an over-powered Knockback Jinx at her opponent, not really wanting to kill her, unlike her dead comrade, making the woman fly backwards and fall heavily against the earthy ground, taking her breath away in the process.

This unexpected action made the woman let go of her katana in her shock and Tsubaki quickly kicked it away before she crouched and knocked the Kunoichi out with a small shockwave from her pointer finger against her neck.

''Is she dead?'', Hayate asked at her side, almost making her jump out of her skin as she turned to face him. She had been so concentrated in knocking out her opponent that she hadn't noticed him approaching.

''Just passed out,'' Tsubaki tersely said. Well, it seemed that some lingering fury was still in her system.

Hayate raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender against her temper. After a heartbeat, Tsubaki sighed and calmed down.

''I apologize.''

''It's no problem,'' the man reassured her with a rare smile.

Tsubaki finally looked around her, inspecting the damage caused by their collective fights. They unconsciously had moved away from the road and into the forest. There were fallen and broken trees all around them, shuriken impaled everywhere and some bloody spots on the ground and tree trunks that she was quickly to ignore. Besides the ninja she had killed, all the others seemed to still be alive, however in varying states of consciousness and injury.

Gai was now enthusiastically bonding the four of them securely and effectively after he had slapped a chakra-disrupting seal (she had read a bit about those) on each, while Kakashi oversaw the process with his arms crossed in front of them and a bored expression on his face. Hayate quickly hauled the last one of their enemies to the others' side and copied Gai's actions.

''What happened to the sixth one?'', Kakashi looked up from the Kumo ninjas and over at Tsubaki, his demeanour still seemingly relaxed and bored.

''I killed him,'' she said candidly, some of the previously icy fury seeping through. At their surprised and curious faces, she added almost nonchalantly, ''He threatened my son and I turned him to dust.''

Tsubaki could swear she saw them gulp nervously at that, but most likely it was just her overactive imagination. They had no reason to fear her wrath – at least of what they knew of her. The few conscious Kumo ninjas glared hatefully at her, but she easily ignored them. Their glares had nothing on Snape's patented one and after six years being the main target of it, she could honestly say that she was practically immune to any other.

In any case, Kakashi, Gai and Hayate busied themselves by starting to question their prisoners and the young witch decided that it was her cue to get away from there. Even though, she had somewhat accepted the ninja way of going about acquiring information, she didn't want to stay there and witness it first-hand. So, after she consciously checked the surrounding area as far as she could and not finding any souls, Tsubaki deemed them reasonably safe and turned around to go retrieve her scared son.

She had a fairly good idea who had ordered their attack anyway. Coming from Kumo, which was a village notorious of often stealing secrets and kidnapping shinobi form other villages to amass power, she was certain that it had been the Raikage himself would had ordered the kidnapping of one of the last Uchiha survivors, as the Sharingan was one of the most coveted kekkai genkai and Doujutsu in the world. For one, Ichigo was supposedly less protected than Uchiha Sasuke at the moment and thus easier to capture – travelling in broad day-light with only a team of shinobis for protection and still not belonging to Konoha officiously – and for other, the boy was still young enough that they could brainwash him and using him easily for their plans by turning him in one of their own shinobis.

All these logical thoughts passed through her mind as Tsubaki moved a fair distance away from the ninjas and called Mamoru. She didn't like any of it, of course, but she couldn't just ignore the facts as they were. Being wilful ignorant of the reality of this world would only mercilessly harm her in the long run.

After checking and affectionately reassuring her son thoroughly and dismissing Mamoru, she finally took care of her wounded arm with the quick use of an antiseptic potion and a healing spell. Ichigo had been a bit distressed at seeing so much blood but Tsubaki was able to convincing him that she was alright.

Sometime later, she heard her name being called and returned to the Konoha shinobis' side with her son perched at her hip. The prisoners were nowhere to be seen and for that she was grateful; neither Ichigo nor Tsubaki needed to see what had become of them in the Konoha's ninjas quest of gathering information.

Tsubaki clinically eyed her companions for a bit, searching for injuries, which she found quite a few. She put down her son and without a word unceremoniously plopped down on the ground after retrieving her potions box. When neither of the ninja moved, she simply raised an eyebrow and looked at them expectantly.

Hayate was the first one to react, not surprisingly, as he had already experienced the woman's healing powers. He approached her and dropped at her side much more gracefully than Tsubaki and extended his arm out to her.

''My wrist is sprained but I believe it's not broken,'' he explained simply. ''The remainder is only a few bruises but nothing major.''

Tsubaki nodded silently before she took the injured limb between her hands and a golden light surrounded them. Ichigo watched the proceedings with much interest. He hadn't a lot of opportunities to see his mother healing people and he always liked to see how she did it.

Then, Tsubaki had to heal a bruised rib and a slightly broken kneecap from Gai – how the man could walk almost normally and not complain in pain was completely beyond the witch. The man thanked her fervently and declared something about her youthfulness and she bared it with dignity even though she wanted to laugh herself silly at what she was hearing.

Kakashi had tried to weasel his way out, eye-smiling and saying that he was perfectly fine, but she was having none of it. Concentrating for a long moment on the man's health without even touching him, she discovered that he had a slight concussion, a dislocated shoulder, some nerve damage in both of his arms due to a nasty lightning Jutsu, most likely and was very low in chakra. Less than impressed with the silver-haired man's antics and inwardly shocked that he could hide his injuries so thoroughly at the same time (their pain tolerance must be ridiculous high!), Tsubaki glared him into submission and explained to him in no uncertain terms what the precise damage was and exactly how long he would have to remain in a hospital bed if she didn't heal him now.

Horror played on his face at the mention of an hospital stay – _Really, give them enemies to fight every day and they happily do it without hesitation, but mention having to stay stuck to an hospital bed for a few days and it's like the end of the world! Men!_ – and promptly surrendered to Tsubaki's mercies. She smirked smugly at him after she took care of his concussion. Her response was a narrowed eye and a scrunched eyebrow that she interpreted as his sour look.

 _If I didn't know better, I would say he's pouting! Ha!_

After everyone was hale once more, they made the last bit of their journey towards their destination in less than an hour uneventfully. Tsubaki was looking forward to take a shower and some hot food before she could sleep in a comfortable bed cuddled with her Chi-chan. But before that she knew they had to see the Hokage first, she only hoped that the visit would be a short one.

* * *

I'd like to explain my reasoning about the two different attacks.

In the first, the Iwa team was made of average Chunnin and Jounin. As the mission was not exactly official, the person who ordered it could not really put the best ninja on it, so contented with some who had a personal grudge against the Yellow Flash and that would not raise any eyebrow by leaving in a mission that the Tsuchikage hadn't requested. As they had the aforementioned urge, they acted all rather hot-headed – almost like a Gryffindor – and didn't think things through, which was their downfall in the end.

Contrary to them, the Kumo ninja spied the first attack (one had a summoning contract with some type of bird which reported what happened) and they took their time and planned accordingly, having already some idea of who and what to expect.

Tsubaki and the others fell into the trap, because the Kumo ninjas had suspected they had a sensor and decided to stay far away and only approaching after they fell into the trap and then blind them momentarily for good measure.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto :'(

Hello all!

Once more, thank you for your kind reviews, you're all awesome!

Finally, we have reached Konoha! When I first thought on what to write in this chapter, I had planned to include a few things after the much anticipated meeting, however my muse had other ideas. As I am someone who learns from their mistakes, I let her go however she pleased. It's awful when she's just ups and leaves. ( _Please, please, don't leave me!_ )

Err… right, anyway, please ignore anything silly. It's the caffeine's fault, I tell you! I wrote the entire chapter in one go, fueled by the aforementioned addictive beverage, so there are bound to be some mistakes.

And it's just me, or keeping Gai in character is harder than it seems? All that 'youthful' speech almost gives me a headache.

Now, seriously, before start reading, I just wanted to point out that Tsubaki knows little about Naruto, except that he's an orphan (obviously) and a Jinchuuriki, so anything mentioned in this chapter are all her assumptions. She doesn't even know if Naruto is aware that he carries the Kyuubi. Because, let's face it, no one in their right mind would ever think that a 9 years old (or younger) lived by himself and was shunned and mistreated by most of his village, without previous knowledge. At the moment, she is far from innocent and naïve but she's not that jaded about the world and would never believe that people would be so callous against a child.

On another side note: I decided that Naruto & co are all 9 years old at the moment.

Ah, I have no idea how the ''official documents'' are in the Naruto world, so I made them like passports, for anyone who's wondering.

As always, tell me what you think!

* * *

CHAPTER 7 – Meeting with the Hokage

''When you meet someone for first time, that's not the whole book; it's just the first page.'' – Brody Armstrong

* * *

It was around six in the evening when Tsubaki first glimpsed Konoha. She marvelled about the fact that it was still light out at that time of the day, considering that it was the middle of December – which was very much different from back home. In fact, the season could not be considered winter at all as the temperatures were quite pleasant – not scorching hot nor chilling cold either – feeling more like a warm spring than the beginnings of the coldest season.

The village's huge front gates could be seen from a great distance away and made her body suddenly feel lighter and more tired at once. The three ninjas seemed to perk up slightly at the sight as well and their step was a little quicker than in the last hour of their journey.

Even before Tsubaki passed the threshold of the ninja village, she was able to see that right inside to the left stood a sturdy wooden table occupied by two ninjas at the moment. She surmised that they were there to control and register the individual entrances into the village by checking the papers of anyone passing through. His hand firmly on her bigger one, Ichigo was already looking around with wide-eyed wonder and curiosity.

''Welcome back, guys!'', one of them said cheerfully, standing up from his seat, as soon as the group of five was close enough to hear the greeting without needing to shout it. The man – which the young witch believed to be a Chunnin – was dark-eyed, with long, spiky black hair and a bandage running along the bridge of his nose. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi uniform and his hitai-ate proudly on his forehead.

The other one gave off a very peaceful vibe to Tsubaki and didn't bother move from his place behind the desk nor speak out loud to the newcomers, apart from offering a silent nod in greeting with a friendly expression. Much like his companion, this man sported the Konoha shinobi outfit as well and his hitai-ate was used like a bandanna. He had dark hair and eyes; however his hair was combed down covering his right eye.

''Yo!'', was the easy response from Kakashi, accompanied by a lazy wave of his arm, his posture as relaxed as possible complemented by his patented eye-smile.

The other two Jounin answered the greeting as well: Hayate replied in a calm fashion and Gai in a very loud and jovial voice that caught the attention of anyone close enough to hear, shinobi and civilian alike.

''And who do we have here?'', the Chunnin asked curiously as if only now he had noticed the Namikaze pair, which Tsubaki suspected to be very far from the actual truth. They wouldn't be very good guards if they didn't see the visitors much before the strangers passed through the gates, after all. He clinically eyed her rumple clothes and (more than usual) messy hair and the dried blood in her arm in silence.

''The ever youthful Namikaze Tsubaki-san and her young son Ichigo-kun,'' Gai presented grandly, smile so bright that could blind someone if they looked directly at it.

Both Chunnin raised their eyebrows at that, the only outwards reaction at hearing that rather unexpected introduction, apparently completely in the dark by the foreign woman's eminent arrival.

 _It seems that it's still not popular knowledge that the Yondaime had a sister and she's coming to Konoha._ Tsubaki mused surprised, before inwardly frowning. She had rather thought that, by now, the rumour mill had spread this news around Konoha. However, it appeared that anyone who had gotten that particular information had not been inclined to share. _Well, we can't have that. It's better if everyone in this place knows as soon as possible that 'Namikaze-sama' is here to stay and she's well aware of her status as a close relation to a past Hokage._

She could use the opportunity unwittingly given by Gai to announce her presence loud and clear, she decided quickly. Reaching into her remarkable bottomless bag, she swiftly brought out the documents necessary to allow her and her son entry in the ninja village before smiling disarmingly at the Chunnin and giving the papers to him.

''My name is Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki and this is my son Uchiha-Namikaze Ichigo, it's nice to meet you,'' she said formally with a slight bow of her head (if her voice was a tad louder than necessary, nobody commented on it). At her side, Ichigo cleverly repeated the gesture, albeit a little clumsily.

The two Chunnin's eyes widened at that. The young witch could already hear the people closest to them whispering among them about this startling news. She was sure that by the next morning most of the village would already know that there was a woman related to the Fourth Hokage and from the Uzumaki Clan and, even more shockingly, there was a young boy who was an unknown survivor from the Uchiha Massacre.

Her three companions didn't comment on the matter at all. She was sure that they at least suspected of what she was doing with this entire grand introduction but were surprisingly disinclined in taking part of it one way or other. They didn't show themselves surprised by the way she was acting right now – even though when she had first met them, she had been quick to abandon any kind of formality – and they didn't mention anything against or in favour of the subject at hand; overall, they seemed to follow the strategy of 'wait and see'.

It was a strategy that she wholeheartedly agreed with. She could only imagine how much more difficult would be for her to spread the information of her presence if they were to meddle on her little plan, even unintentionally.

''Namikaze, you say?'', the talkative Chunnin ended up asking eagerly; apparently his curiosity stronger than his good manners (not that Tsubaki was displeased with that, at all). ''Are you related to Namikaze Minato, by any chance?''

''Izumo!'', admonished his partner, speaking for the first time and throwing a reproving look at the man in question. Most likely, he was afraid that his friend would somehow offend the young woman, if she wound up being someone important.

This action, however, cut off any kind of possibility of asking about the 'Uchiha' part of the introduction. There was no way that Tsubaki would come right out and say it without prompting; she was trying to divulge that interesting titbit as naturally as possible. She didn't want to come as gloating concerning her supposedly important status or heartless about her son's father death. She was a little disappointed that she couldn't reveal that to the masses at the moment but chose to sweep it aside for now. Sooner or later, everyone would know anyway.

''It's alright,'' Tsubaki was quick to reassure in a kind fashion, permanently aware of all the eyes and ears trained on their discussion. ''Minato was indeed my half-brother, but sadly I never had the chance to meet him personally.''

There was a heavy and awkward silence for a few moments, the five shinobi each immersed in their memories of Minato, most likely, before Gai – ever the jovial and never-down-for-long kind of guy – rescued the situation by crying out loud, ''YOSH! I am certain that you'll make many happy memories in Konoha, Tsubaki-san! Your springtime of youth burns ever so brightly and will guide you through any ill fortune that you may have in the future, I am sure!''

Tsubaki offered a genuine smile to the green-clad ninja for those uplifting words, honestly appreciative for his positive conviction. He may talk in an odd way and unnecessarily grandly most of the time, spouting ridiculous challenges that no sane person would ever follow through, using and abusing of words such as 'youth', 'spring' and a few others, and giving her the constant urge to laugh in his presence over his words and actions, but she thought that the man was a nice and kind person overall and was always ready to cheer up someone in need. In the end, Gai may be different from his peers, but in no way that fact made him unacceptable or a lesser person. Besides, she was already used to odd people – the Wizarding World had had its fair share of them – and she usually got along with them after the first meeting (Luna Lovegood came to mind, and one could not be much more eccentric than her, and Mia Potter had always got famously well with the pretty, blond-haired Ravenclaw girl). Well, maybe not Dumbledore, but that man was a category of his own.

''Thank you, Gai-san.'' She held out her hand to receive her documents back after Izumo-san had checked them out. As she had expected, there had been no problems and the Chunnin had stamped out a full permit on both of them.

Gai's answer was a blinding smile and his 'nice guy's pose.

(Through it all, Ichigo had been silent but by no means idle. Even with his hand still firmly lodged in his mother's, he hadn't stopped looking all around. He had chosen to completely ignore the adults' conversation after the first introduction and was now taking in the sights instead, which would be certainly much more interesting in his eyes.)

''Alright,'' Kakashi spoke up, swiftly cutting off the sentimental moment straight through, and adopted a more professional posture and expression for just a moment. ''I'll escort Tsubaki-san and her son to the Hokage Tower. Gai, Hayate, good work on this mission, you're dismissed.''

''Hai, Capitan,'' the two responded in unison with a nod, their expression blank and posture rigid for just a second. They traded warm good-byes with the Namikaze family (Gai exuberantly promised that he would see them around) and left with a Shunshin.

Tsubaki could bet that they had gone directly to the hospital to be checked out. They would want to know as soon as possible that whatever she had done to heal them had been genuine without any kind of adverse delayed effects and in Hayate's case to confirm if his long-time sickness was truly and definitely gone. She really wasn't upset about it. She was virtually a stranger still and for all that she had said, if she had intended to, she could have easily poisoned them or negatively affected their health without them even notice it. So, it was good that they were being careful, as they should always be, when some woman with previously never heard of powers used her skills on them.

Besides, it would be good publicity too when they got their confirmations that what she was done not only had healed their injuries but also had taken care of small issues that they had not really noticed before while she had been at it. Honestly, if the medic-nin didn't tell them that 'they had never been healthier', they would surely say something along these lines. Anyway, it was a good point in her favour.

* * *

The journey towards the Hokage Tower was uneventful apart from Kakashi pointing out some important building or the market place, for example, from afar. Ichigo was full of questions, now that the adults had finished their boring conversation, and had reacted rather amusedly and adorably when sighting the Hokage Mountain from the first time. Tsubaki had tried to not chuckle at her son's cuteness and unbinding curiosity and hugging him for a bit but hadn't been very successful; even Kakashi had eye-smiled and slightly chuckled at the boy's sudden hyperactivity and non-stop babbling.

Overall, however, she was plotting and only payed half her attention to the world around her.

The passer-by eyed them with undisguised curiosity, some even staring more than was sociably polite. Tsubaki could already hear the beginning of whispers going around, signalling the spread of the news and the rumour mill would soon be at full force. She couldn't wait to know what the villagers came up with in the end.

In the Wizarding World, any and all gossip was always blown out of proportion, especially in the _Daily Prophet,_ with no regards to what the possibly unpleasant consequences of said articles would have in the people related to it. The more scandalous, the better it would be. It was something that had always amazed the young witch – and not in a good way – that those unscrupulous people could come up with so many outrageous things and the masses – ever the faithful and mindless sheep – believed the word of a sensationalist newspaper like it was gospel more readily than the actual subject of said rumours, even with evidence; regardless of even if the previous week the latest news had been proven to be a lie all long, the paper had always been considered the truth harbinger and nothing would ever dissuade the public's mind of the contrary (Ministry's attempts at discrediting the famous Girl Who Lived in her fifth year came to mind and all the reactions that she had been subjected to, and then discovering that she had spoken the truth all along, only to spread another ridiculous rumour not long after that.)

 _What was that saying? Oh, yes! Lather, rinse, repeat._

Regardless of her feelings about rumours, she actually planned to have this one circulating around Konoha as soon as possible. She wanted the villagers to be aware of her presence. For the moment, it didn't matter much what exactly they thought of her. She was sure that eventually her actions would spurn their honest opinions and she wasn't certain if they would be very positive or not. In all honesty, it depended on what she found out and the way in which they treated her in turn. Certainly, she wasn't bending backwards to satisfy them. She would be herself and if someone didn't like it, well, too bad. The most important things were her few precious people and her mission and she'd not hesitate in alienate someone if they were against her, even the entire village if necessary; in first place it would always be her family. She really hadn't one before and now she'd do everything to take care of them. She couldn't care less about saving this world.

Taking a discreet deep breath, Tsubaki calmed herself down; she needed to stop working herself into a storm any time her thoughts got away from her. Instead, she turned her mind to her first and foremost plan.

Her first step, after speaking with the Hokage and securing a room for the night, was to find a permanent residence. She didn't know how the housing system worked here in the village. Was there even a Real State Agency in Konoha?

After finding something suitable – a house with at least four bedrooms and all the other necessary rooms and amenities; a big enough garden and basement; and if it was secluded even better as money was not really an issue – she would ward it so throughout that even Voldemort would have a hard time force his way in. She wasn't going to save efforts when protecting her family; any kind of useful ward – wanded or runic – would be done, no matter if they were deemed Light or Dark. Mad-Eye Moody would be proud with the fortress that she planned to create. After she was through, that house would be the most protected place in all the Elemental Nations, hands down.

The second step was finding her 'nephew' Naruto. She was still thinking about how to go about it, though. She couldn't just demand the Hokage when she'd meet him in a few minutes that she had to adopt her brother's son. For one, supposedly (almost) no one knew that Minato even had a son, or that even married Uzumaki Kushina for that matter. And then, she didn't know the boy's situation at the moment.

 _Is he still living at the orphanage or he's living with someone else? If so, I hope that at least the adult in question has been treating Naruto right._

The boy would be nine years old right now and most likely was a student at the Academy; from what the little information Death had revealed, the boy would need to be a shinobi if he had the impressive fate of saving this world ( _Bloody Prophecies!)._ No way in hell, he would be able to do it as a civilian! No to mention the 'little detail' of him being a Jinchuuriki; eventually the boy would need help controlling such a monstrous amount of power and for that he would need to train hard through the years if he ever wished to be able to do it.

 _Does Naruto even know about the Kyuubi? It's usually classified information among the ninja villages, but I don't know if it's the case here. As a matter of fact, Suna's Jinchuuriki is rather famous, or I should say infamous? I'm sure there is something very wrong with that seal. Really, who goes and sloppily seals a Tailed Beast in an unborn child? Anyone with a smidgen of common sense can tell that it's a disaster waiting to happen; or various, as they have already happened. Bloody brainless idiots the lot of them!_

Tsubaki shook her head in disgusted disbelief and brought her mind back on track to Naruto. Now was not the time to ponder about the incompetence of senseless old fools.

Anyway, she needed to know about Naruto's life before she went about disrupting the boy's daily life and any kind of relationship he could possibly have with someone that he perhaps viewed as a parental figure. As much as she wanted to just take the boy and give him everything that he needed, she had to think first about Naruto's interests and needs.

Her mental wonderings were interrupted when Kakashi stepped through the threshold of the Hokage Tower, his posture ever-so-relaxed – thankfully, that dreadful book was nowhere in sight. Looking down at her son and squeezing his small in reassurance, Tsubaki followed the silver-haired Jonin with her face a blank mask and head held high.

 _It's show time!_

After climbing several sets of stairs, every one they passed staring curiously at the Namikaze duo – she doubted that the gossip had already reach them – Kakashi stopped in front of a desk in which a black haired, young woman sat behind.

Tsubaki could sense two souls, each at one side of the door a few feet away from the assistant's work place and the pair were most likely ANBU. She surmised that they were the first line of defence, so to speak, against intruders.

''Hatake Kakashi to report a successful mission and bring Namikaze-san to a meeting with Hokage-sama,'' the Jonin stated all profession-like with only a nod as of way of greeting.

Meanwhile, Tsubaki was explaining to her son that they'd go meet someone very important and that he had to remain silent and always respectful while they were inside that room.

''You can go in, Hatake-san,'' the woman replied promptly. ''Hokage-sama has been waiting for your arrival.''

With a nod of thanks, Kakashi led Tsubaki and Ichigo towards the Hokage's office door and knocked before being called to enter.

The room was fairly spacious and quite luminous; the main source of light being the large window to Tsubaki's right, which showed an impressive landscape of the village. The wall directly in front boasted life-sized pictures of past Hokages with the clear exception of the third. It was the first time she saw such a detailed picture of her alleged brother and, after looking at her face in the mirror every morning for the past month, she could easily pick the similarities between Minato and her.

To the left, the Sandaime Hokage was seated behind a large wooden desk, surrounded by mountains of paperwork in each side and even some on the floor. Wearing his official robes and hat, the old man was smoking on a pipe, hands laced upon the table top an expression completely unreadable.

Tsubaki stood, her posture as straight as she could, in front of the leader of the village in complete silence and face equally blank, with a silent and suddenly shy Ichigo at her side. On her other side, Kakashi waited for his superior to start to speak.

She sensed four souls hidden somewhere in the room, however she felt there was something off with the last one. Even though no soul was identical to another – very much like a fingerprint – the other three were fairly similar overall and their hiding place was one in each corner of the room, except to door's right corner. The last one, though, was hidden in the ceiling; she felt almost as if the person – a man – was practically melted with the cement of the ceiling itself, which was a rather strange feeling. Besides that, it seemed that there was something more to the man, there was some kind of extra to his overall presence – it reminded her almost of the way Kakashi's Sharingan felt like, though much more nefarious and almost shady somehow.

Tsubaki wasn't sure if that person actually belonged to the Hokage's guard or if the man was some kind of spy – she was inclined more to the latter, though. She didn't know how the Hokage would react if she just outright said it now or if it was even possible to catch the would-be intruder. There was no assurance that the old man wouldn't demand a lengthy explanation before he would act, anyway. And, sure as hell, the stranger would not wait quietly for the others to capture him and she doubted that the three ANBU guards would be able to quickly do it if no one else seemed to sense his presence.

For now, she decided to leave the issue, choosing to not discuss anything of importance in the office this evening, to be on the safe side. After all, it could be only her suspicious mind at work and in the end the man was part of the guard and she ended up offending the Hokage somehow. That was not how she wanted their first meeting to go. Regardless of her potential future actions, she intended on staying on the old leader's good side as long as possible.

After a lengthy silence, the Sandaime's face broke in a small smile and said warmly, ''Welcome to Konoha, Namikaze-san and Ichigo-Kun as well,'' he added with a chuckle when the little boy perked up at his mother's side, his previous wandering eyes quickly falling on the old man's figure. ''It's a pleasure receiving Minato's sister in the village that he loved so dearly. I hope that you come to find it as lovely as we, the proud inhabitants of Konoha, do.''

''It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Hokage-sama, please call me Tsubaki,'' the witch responded in kind with a slight bow to the old man in a show of respect but not submissiveness. ''Of the little I've seen, I can honestly say that your village is very charming.''

''Thank you,'' he said, pleased. ''I hoped that your journey would be uneventful, but from your clearly rumpled and blood-stained appearances, I can surmise that it was sadly not the case.''

''There were two attacks, Hokage-sama,'' Kakashi spoke up for the first time, voice utterly serious; his eye-smiling, lazy persona nowhere to be seen. He deposited several scrolls on the desk top that Tsubaki chose not to think about what they may contain. ''The first one was an unofficial mission from Iwa and the second was from Kumo, issued by the Raikage himself.''

The Hokage frowned heavily at that for a moment before he sighed.

''Not an unexpected turn of events, all things considered.'' Then, he seemed to shove that matter aside as his face cleared and searched for something in of the drawers of his desk. ''Tsubaki-san, as you are incontestably my predecessor's sister, I took the liberty of preparing Minato's house for your arrival. The house has been sealed in lock down mode all these years. This morning, I went there myself to open it again and the cleaning lady, who had been in charge of the house at the time, has been there all day to prepare it for your stay. There is more than enough room for you and your son, with a large forested property in the back, which includes a large garden.''

Kakashi seemed to react strongly to the unforeseen offer, if the suddenly widening of his uncovering eye and raising of his eyebrow was any indication. He didn't say anything, though, and the Hokage chose to ignore it.

Tsubaki was shocked speechless; she hadn't expected that if Minato had had a house, it would still be there waiting to be taken. However, after thinking a bit, she surmised that the Hokage had probably saved the house to eventually present it to Naruto, perhaps when the boy reached his late teens. For a moment, she felt guilty in taking that house away from the rightful owner; however, she supposed that if Naruto came to live with her eventually, it wouldn't make a great difference in the end.

''Thank you, Hokage-sama, for your kindness,'' she ultimately said with a nod of thanks and a smile, accepting the golden key pre-offered by the Hokage. ''You just save me a lot of headaches, not having to go house-hunting.''

The old man chuckled with her for a few seconds, the both of them ignoring Kakashi's moody disposition. Ichigo just looked at his mother in confusion for a bit, not really understanding what was going on for the adults to be laughing.

''Hokage-sama has just offered us a house to live, Chi-chan,'' she explained patiently to her son, lightly combing the boy's hair with her fingers. Playing closer attention, she could see that his boy was exhausted, which was not surprising after the long and strenuous day they had. ''You're close to fall asleep standing, aren't you, love?'', she added, chuckling lightly at her heavily blinking son, before taking him on her arms and perching on his usual spot at her hip. She patted his back a few times. ''Just only a little longer before we go to our new home, ok? You can take a nap for now.''

Through all that one-sided conversation and blatant demonstration of motherly love, the Hokage had simply observed both in silence with a slight smile on his careworn face. Kakashi seemed to come out of whatever inner struggle he had been fighting and just stood there, eye-smiling again as if nothing had happened.

''Seeing as your son seems to have had enough of adults' boring talks,'' the Hokage commented good-naturally, chuckling once more, ''perhaps it's better adjourn this meeting to a later date. I presume that you feel tired, as well, and it does nobody any good to discuss important matters when one's mind is not fully up to it.''

''Yes, I agree, Hokage-sama, and appreciate your consideration.''

''There's only a crucial topic that it must be discussed before you all can go have your well-deserved rest,'' the Sandaime stated, his voice serious once more.

Tsubaki straightened as best as she could with her son, sleeping in between her neck and shoulder, his smalls hugging her in an awkward position. She suspected what it was that the old man wanted to talk about: her guard – which would serve as much as protection as observing her for the foreseeable days. However, she didn't want to be followed around by at least at full team of ANBU at all times of day and night. She was glad that the Hokage was thinking about her and her son's safety but it was not really necessary.

''For your safety and your son as well, there will be a full team watching out for you for at the least until you're settled comfortably-'', the Hokage started to say but Tsubaki swiftly cut him off by holding out an hand in front of her.

''I apologize, Hokage-sama, but that will be not necessary,'' she said seriously. The Hokage opened his mouth to say something – to argue her decision, no doubt – and she went on. ''I'm very aware that just because I'm finally inside Konoha that I am, by no means, free of any attempts against my life. Believe me, I know. However, as soon as I reach Minato's house, I plan on using my sealing skills and protect it in such a manner that no one could ever possibly force their way inside, against my express permission. Let's just say that my methods are quite deadly,'' Tsubaki added bluntly. She was glad that Ichigo was sleeping; this way there was no need to carefully watch out what she wanted to say to not spook his son too much. ''For the record, I'll not be responsible for any kind of injury or even death caused by anyone trying to force their way inside my house. The Clan by-laws state that any clan-head has the right to protect their property of residence in any way they believe necessary and I plan on benefitting from these laws to the fullest.''

At that, she took out three scrolls – a little awkwardly because Ichigo was a bit on the way but she managed – from inside her bag and silently handed them over to the Hokage, who proceeded to open and quickly read over them. The first one was the Official document declaring Diplomatic Immunity to Tsubaki and all her close family, signed by the Fire Country's Daimyo. The other two each declared her the Clan Head of the Uzumaki and Kurosawa Families, granted and signed as well by the sovereign of the Land of the Fire.

''I have no desire of having people I don't even know watching my very move, even if they are there to protect me,'' she continued as she hadn't stopped. ''I had never needed to and it's not now that that will change. I'm more than able to protect myself and my son if necessary, as Kakashi can attest to and will explain to you in more detail later, no doubt. Besides, if I'm attacked inside this village in the broad daylight, I'm sure that any shinobi can assist me readily enough. To assuage your worries, I promise that I will not be out of the house after dark by the meantime, as I really don't have a need for it for now anyway.''

The Hokage seemed to be speechless; Tsubaki doubted that he had many first time guests deliberately telling him that they didn't need protection detail and having the proofs to backing up such claims. The old man eyed Kakashi for a second and the silver-haired Jonin gave an almost imperceptive nod of concurrence.

Honestly, there wasn't much that the old leader could do in this situation. If he persisted, Tsubaki would simply ignore his instructions with absolutely no consequences. The Hokage could make suggestions and she could accept them if she wanted, but in this matter it was as far as it would go on her compliance.

Seeing the man so weighted by this issue, she decided to compromise a little bit. She damned her soft heart with a heavy sight.

''I offer you a compromise.''

At that the Sandaime seemed to perk up a bit and regarded with all his attention. Kakashi looked directly at her as well, raising an enquiring eyebrow.

''To assuage your clear worries, I'm willing to have a shinobi, and only one, escorting me around the village for the time being and I'll even grant him entry in the house, so that he can come and go as he pleases. However, it must be someone that I already know. Kakashi-san, Gai-san or Hayate-san. I'm somewhat already used to them and in this way I'll not feel like they are encroaching much in my life.''

''Kakashi it will be, then,'' the Hokage decided without hesitation and with a sigh.

The man in question barely reacted to the way his near future life in the village had been decided, if Tsubaki had to wager she would say that he had already been expecting something like this. Anyhow, Tsubaki was pleased with the final solution to that issue and just smiled at Kakashi.

After that, the Hokage decided to end the meeting and the man and Tsubaki agreed on meeting again in three days' time, giving the young mother time to settle in Konoha. Then, they would bring the more important issues to the table and talk with more clear minds and more time available.


	9. Chapter 8

AN: Hello, sorry about the long wait since last chapter but real life and a huge writer's block are the ones to blame.

I thank everyone who reviewed; I got some ideas from your comments.

Before starting this chapter, there's something that I want to address.

Someone pointed that Ichigo is seriously underpowered. Yes, Itachi was a genius shinobi – in intellect and ninja arts. However, Ichigo remembers absolutely nothing of his 'first life'. For all intents and purposes, Ichigo is a 4 years-old **civilian** boy with no ninja training whatsoever, who had up until lived a rather sheltered life. Sure, he's smart beyond his age but that's something innate and not something that had been trained into him. So, I figure that the way he reacted when the Kumo ninja grabbed him was more or less realistic – as far as realism goes in a world of ninjas, anyway – and any kid in his situation would be crying out for his mummy.

I know I had something else to mention, but I can't remember it now. Oh, well.

I'm not very happy with this chapter – in fact, I might rewrite it later on – but after more than a month trying to get it right, I figured that it was as good as I could make it without ripping my hair out in frustration. it is kind of filler anyway, but was necessary.

As always, your comments are appreciated. Oh, yeah, Naruto will make his debut next chapter, I promise!

Enjoy!

* * *

''I feel like I have a new life and I'm going to take full advantage of it.'' – William Green

* * *

CHAPTER 8 - A NEW HOME

When the group of three stepped outside of the Hokage Tower it was still fairly light out, although the sun was setting down in the horizon. Without a word, Kakashi proceeded in leading the way without hurry to their new residence.

Even though the streets were still fairly occupied and buzzing with people and activity, the walk was completely silent among them. Ichigo was still blissfully sleeping away and Kakashi seemed to be lost in his own mind. Tsubaki, however, was paying close attention to the previous suspicious ninja who was inconspicuously following them since they left the Tower behind.

For the moment, she decided to let him be and bid her time. There were too many people around and she didn't want them to become 'collateral damage' in case a fight broke out in the middle of the street. She hoped that Minato's house would be located in a scheduled place so she could take care of the stalker before she had to ward her new home. She didn't want to give away any kind of idea of the actual protections she planned on layering the house with or any kind of clue about her powers more than was absolutely necessary to enemy shinobi. Granted, the wards would be practically unbeatable and downright nasty and lethal to whomever dared to try and break in in her new home, however she didn't want to give away even the littlest Intel about them. Ninjas were trained to be awfully cunning and overcome what many considered impossible odds and Tsubaki wouldn't be so foolishly overconfident in her own powers so early on. After all, information was power and one thing she had learned the hard way was that she'd rather be safe than sorry when faced against an unknown foe.

After thinking about her strategic attack for a few minutes, Tsubaki decided to put it in practice when Kakashi turned left on a crossroads towards what seemed to be the outskirts of Konoha and their surroundings started to change from overpopulated areas to almost empty paths. She made an overemphasized show of being tired of holding her son in her arms and summoned Mamoru to carry Ichigo the rest of the way – that way she had complete freedom of movements and could act at any time without worrying about her son.

Kakashi barely reacted to her behaviour or the sudden appearance of the big beast, simply continuing on his silent way, and the stalker kept on following them at the same distance without ever faltering.

When the young witch deemed their position as good as it would get – completely alone in a dirt path with only a couple of houses in the distance and the forest mostly around them and no souls in close range – she concentrated carefully on the man's position and disapparated silently from her spot; she apparated just as soundlessly right behind the spy, throwing a freezing charm at her opponent before he could turn around and face her. As almost an afterthought, she cast a mild sleeping spell as well, which would hold the man under its effects for at least four hours if she didn't cast the counter-spell before then.

Target immobile and basically harmless for the moment, she took a moment to examine the man more carefully before she returned with him in tow to Kakashi's side – who, by now, was in high alert and looking around trying to find her while Mamoru stayed calmly not far away from him with the little boy still blissfully asleep.

As far as she could see, the shinobi was dressed in a standard ANBU uniform and body armour (she had seen a picture of one sometime in the last month when she had read upon Konoha's military force) and had a couple of weapons' pouches, however what she found beyond strange was the mask he wore. Usually, from what she had understood, ANBU were assigned an animal mask upon their entry in the Black Ops, which in turn would be their code name while there – for example, if someone received the Cat mask, from that moment on, they would be called 'Neko' – but this man's mask was completely blank; there were no distinguishing marks whatsoever that she could find.

Deciding to leave that suspicious matter to Kakashi to handle, Tsubaki grabbed the man's right wrist and took him back to the place she had been before, startling the silver haired shinobi.

Instinctively dodging a kunai thrown her way, she was quick to explain what was happening to the agitated shinobi in front of her, who by now was looking between her and the paralysed masked man warily and ready to throw another kunai.

''It's alright, he can't move and he's asleep. This man has been following us since we left the Hokage Tower,'' the woman stated in a no nonsense tone, looking at Kakashi squarely in the eye. What she didn't say out loud – the fact that Kakashi had not noticed at all – was understood regardless, she was able to see. ''In fact, he was already in the Hokage's office when we arrived.''

''What!?'', the man demanded incredulous, eye wide open, apparently choosing to ignore how the unknown man had become basically harmless and standing there like a sleeping statue for the moment. ''How is that even possible?''

''I don't know,'' she admitted with a sigh and a shrug, glancing briefly at the subject in question, who was still very much frozen. ''As you have gathered, I'm a sensor; though, instead of sensing chakra, I sense life force in a way. I was able to sense everyone hidden in the Hokage's office: the two ANBU on each side of the door and then more four inside. Three of them were overall similar; however this one feels completely different. There is something extra and nasty. While the other three were around the room, this one felt like he was melted in the ceiling itself.''

Kakashi was regarding her oddly. She didn't know what exactly that expression meant – having one's face almost completely covered and just one eye visible was rather hard to read expressions from. If asked, though, she'd say that the man was gobsmacked at what she was saying. It was no small matter, after all, she was practically stating that the Hokage was being spied upon in his own office and no one was the wiser.

''And you didn't think it was important to – I don't know – to mention it to me, at least, when we got out of the Tower?'', he finally asked, affronted and accusatory at the same time.

Tsubaki bristled, taking offense more at his tone than what he was saying.

''Oh, yes,'' she commented scathingly and sarcastically, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ''Without any proof, I'd just come out and say that the _Hokage_ was not so safely guarded after all, the moment I stepped inside his office. For all I knew, he was just another guard there. I had no intention of offending Sandaime-sama the first time I met him.''

Kakashi stared at her for a few moments before relenting, begrudgingly and silently conceding her point.

''Now that's sorted out, do you know which organization or village he may work for?'', Tsubaki asked, annoyance forgotten and mind once again on what was imperative at the moment. She wanted to know who had the balls to directly spy on the Hokage without trouble and was following her without a care.

The silver-haired man kept silent at that question. He knew something, but he wouldn't tell her.

Tsubaki became instantly annoyed and glared fiercely at the man.

One of the things she hated most was someone withholding important information from her, especially when it involved her directly. She had had more than enough of that with Dumbledore. She was of the full belief that if the old wizard had disclosed some of the important information concerning her own person, instead of guarding everything to himself and only deigning disclosing what he had deemed necessary mostly by riddles and half spoken facts – when he even considered essential to mention anything at all – then leaving Mia floundering blindly to try and understand them, the outcome of the wizarding war perhaps would have been much more encouraging and more people would have survived.

 _Why people think it's best to hide important information from me when it concerns me directly?_

She was sick of people making decisions that concerned her without any of her input. Before, she had been powerless to do anything to prevent it, but now the situation was completely different. If Kakashi didn't see the need of giving her any kind of answer without even offering some explanation, then she would take the matter in her own hands. Literally.

Decision made, she reached out to take the blank mask of the frozen spy, but her hand was caught by Kakashi. His grip was tight but not painful by any means.

Tsubaki glared at him again and the Konoha shinobi raised his free hand in placation with a weary sight.

''Look, I can't just disclose confidential information to you,'' he said, not releasing her hand. ''Yes, I have suspicions about the person whom this ninja responds to, if the blank mask is any indication, but I have no permission to talk about it. Rest assured, however, that he's not under Hokage-sama's command, so if you ever meet another ANBU with a blank mask, never trust them. But what you were about to do was a very reckless thing. If you took off the mask against the owner's will, they would die immediately which wouldn't help in any way to find out the responsible.''

Tsubaki paled at that, as the notion of what she was hearing sunk in. These people, whoever they were, would rather die than being caught by their enemies and she had almost killed this man without even a thought about her actions. Granted, she had just killed a Kumo Nin this afternoon, but she had felt somewhat justified at the time and she had known what she was doing. In this case, though, she would kill someone simply because she was annoyed that important information was being kept from her. Sure, it would be unintentional but it would be her fault nonetheless. She hadn't still sunk that low that she wouldn't care about killing people just because she had let her temper control her. Perhaps, she wouldn't feel much remorse this time because the ninja in question was a confirmed enemy, though next time she may be not so 'lucky'. Tsubaki vowed to herself that she would control her temper better in the future. She couldn't allow her negative emotions to rule her blindly or she could regret it deeply.

Kakashi, apparently seeing the comprehension of his words dawning in Tsubaki's face, nodded and released her hand. All the while, the spy stood there frozen and dead to the world, and Mamoru was silent and most motionless, a few feet away from them with Ichigo still blissfully sleeping away.

Then Kakashi let his chakra flare in a certain pattern that Tsubaki was sure meant some kind of code. It reminded her slightly of Morse code but with chakra.

A few seconds later a full ANBU team landed around them, their stances ready to fight. Their clothing was fairly similar to the spy's but she was relieved to see that all of them carried an 'Animal Mask'. They seemed to ignore the young woman and the large dog with the sleeping boy on its back, deeming them not the threat for the moment, as they took in the frozen unknown ninja.

''Jonin Hakate, what's the situation?'', the one sporting a Lion mask asked in a no nonsense and authoritative voice, making him the team leader of the arriving group.

''Ninja unknown, rank unknown, outstanding level of stealth and infiltration,'' Kakashi promptly answered, his posture absolutely professional and rigid. ''The man has been following Namikaze-san since we left the Hokage Tower. Apparently, he was already inside the Hokage's office when we had arrived, no one seemed to have detected him and it's unknown how long he had been there to start with.''

Not any of them reacted outwardly at the mention that the Hokage had been spied upon without anyone being the wiser for an undetermined amount of time.

''Is he under some Genjutsu?'', Lion asked as he seemed to examine their captive closer.

Kakashi didn't respond; he simply nodded at Tsubaki who had been mostly ignored all this time, though she knew the ANBU were very aware of everything around them. The team leader swiftly shifted his attention to her, waiting for her answer.

''No, he's just frozen and asleep,'' she said, before expanding on her statement without being prompted. ''He'll wake up in about four hours and his body will be back to normal around the same time as well.''

Lion stared at her for a moment longer than was strictly necessary before nodding. He motioned with his right arm and 'Bear' stepped forward and slapped a chakra supressing seal on the captured spy for good measure.

''Expect to be called by Hokage-sama to give testimony about this situation in the near future,'' Lion stated as a parting greeting before the entire team disappeared in the night that had just fallen upon them.

* * *

They only had to walk more five minutes until they reached their destination.

Kakashi chose not comment about what had just happened in any way and Tsubaki wasn't eager to talk about it either. She was feeling a little upset about herself at the moment.

For all the changes that she had overcame somewhat easily these last few weeks and her acceptance of general concepts and beliefs in this new world, there were still some times where she tended to forget that the Elemental Nations worked rather differently than her home country. In this world, or at least in the ninja villages, the chain of command and the way things usually worked were very akin to a military dictatorship. The shinobi force under any Kage were required by duty to obey their orders absolutely and guarding any kind of information from outsiders or even their own comrades if the situation called for it was just only one side of their many duties, under pain of heavy punishment or even death if the person chose to disobey. So Tsubaki should not have been surprised that Kakashi hadn't disclosed anything to her about her stalker just because she had asked him, no matter the level of implication that she had in the matter.

As soon as she sighted her new residence, she cast aside these thoughts to ponder at a later date. She had more pressing matters to take care of at the moment, after all.

Happily, Tsubaki noted that the two-story house was fairly nice and not at all grandiose. Painted in neutral white with a black roof, it was surrounded by trees in both sides and, from where she stood just in front of the entry wooden gate, she could even glimpse a large garden/training ground in the back, before the terrain changed in a extensive forest about two hundred metres away.

She raised a hand to halt Kakashi from pushing the gate open and step in the gravel entry way. He followed her silent command but raised a questioning eyebrow at her in turn.

''I need to put on the protection wards before stepping inside,'' she explained, as she mentally ran through all the wards that she wanted to cast around the large property, before she had to force back a yawn, making her aware that she was more tired than she previously thought. She amended right after. ''At least, the more critical ones until tomorrow morning.''

Kakashi nodded. Obviously, he didn't know exactly what to expect but wisely stepped away from her and stood alert and silent besides Mamoru and Ichigo – not that he'd really see what the young woman would be doing, as she would be casting wandlessly and thus anyone who came upon on her in that moment would only see her standing there waving her hands seemingly randomly around without actually moving from her place.

After she had perused her many books about wards, she had thought long and hard about the ones she'd layer around her new house. Needless to say, the usual basic wards that any self-respected pure-blooded wizarding home boasted were downright useless in the Elemental Nations – such was the case of Anti-Apparation, Anti-Portkey, or Anti-Animagus.

Thankfully, as she was the only witch in this world and no one knew of her past status of being the famous Girl-Who-Lived, she didn't have to worry about the type of wards she protected her house with, being them Dark or Light. Other positive fact was that ninjas really didn't care about such details as social accepted morals or being on the right side of the law (as long as they didn't go against their respective Kages' orders); after all, they were mercenaries for hire, they killed, they stole, they lied and did anything and everything to accomplish their missions and to protect their village and/or they loved ones, and more often than not they were a bunch of vicious fellows. Summarily, they were everything opposite of what the Magical Light Side (supposedly) stood for. So, she was fairly confident that Kakashi wouldn't complain about the nasty consequences if some unwanted visitor tried to force their way into their home, in fact he would most likely compliment her on such well-done and lethal 'traps' to protect their new home. Besides, she had warned the Hokage about it so she would not be responsible if someone would be foolish enough to try and force their way into private propriety belonging to a Clan Head's residency.

Standard Blood Wards were a must – thankfully, they were fairly easy and quick to cast. The reason that they weren't used more often was because the Ministry in all their wisdom had declared them dark and thus forbidden simply due the need to use blood in its creation. Tsubaki never understood how Dumbledore had gotten away with it, casting them around Privet Drive. Sure, he had said that was due to her mother's protection when Lily Potter had sacrificed her own life for her daughter, which had created such a powerful protection – and they were much more potent than the average Blood Wards because of it – but in the end the wards were considered Dark and illegal in the eyes of the British Magical law. She assumed that sooner or later the Ministry would size the chance to use that fact against the old Headmaster or even Mia Potter (even though she had absolutely nothing to do it, but, hey when had that really mattered, anyway?) to further they self-serving political games. However, that never happened.

The irony that the Leader of the Light had used a forbidden _Dark_ Ward to protect the Light Heroine from the big bad Dark Lord didn't escape Mia's notice.

Anyway, after a small cut to the hand and some chanted words, the Blood Wards were in place. The only ones who could enter and leave the house freely would be only Tsubaki and Ichigo. Later, Naruto would have identical benefits as they shared the same blood.

These wards would stop anyone undesirable to physically enter the house, but would do nothing against anything nefarious thrown from the outside in, such a poisonous gas, for example, or wouldn't hide the inhabitants from the exterior. As far as allowing someone uninvited entrance, the Blood Wards were infallible, but they weren't really that great at protecting the inside from outside threats as long as the enemy remained out of range of the wards.

Luckily, she had already prepared a Ward Stone before-hand for the more potent and nasty wards and curses that would completely protect the property from everything and everyone deemed a threat with varying levels of unpleasant lasting effects on the trespassers.

She smirked evilly at that thought as she pulled the Ward Stone from her trusty bag. The air around dropped a few degrees in temperature and the atmosphere turned a little oppressive before she composed herself.

(Kakashi shifted uncomfortably for a second upon seeing that expression and feeling the chilly alteration in the air before he got a hold of himself.)

How many would try before they learned their lesson? She thought ninjas had more common sense than wizards but she wouldn't hold her breath. The reason she wasn't more repentance about it was simply because anyone who would try to break into her home would not have her family's best interest at heart and as she had said earlier to the Kumo Nin, she would not forgive anyone who wanted to try to hurt her family.

Before she started to cast any curses or other wards, she called Kakashi and told him to transfer a bit of his chakra to the stone, just as if he was activating a seal. When the man demanded to know why that was needed, she patiently explained.

''As of right now, only someone sharing my blood can enter and exit the house freely. Seeing as you will be living here for the foreseeable future, I have to register your 'chakra signature' on this warding stone, so that you may come and go as you wish, without my express permission. Though, anyone else will be barred from entering and will need my permission to step inside the property. The farthest they will go, will be this gate where they will need to ring the bell. Any other way will be impossible.''

Kakashi seemed satisfied enough with that answer and proceeded in donating his chakra without any more questions for the time being. She was sure that the man was bursting with curiosity but she was glad that he was holding his tong for now.

After that, she planned on layering the Warding Stone with powerful spells that would prevent the entry of anyone or anything else through any way (such as underground, by air, or simply trying to force their way by destroying a wall or window, for example), only the front door would be safe to enter through and that would be if the door was opened from the inside by an authorized person; any unfortunate sod that planned on it would receive quite a nasty shock.

For now, she only would cast a few protections. The essential ward that was purely intention-based: anyone with malicious intent would be barred from stepping inside the house, even if given permission to do so by the person inside. This way she would not have to needlessly worry if Ichigo, Kakashi, Naruto or someone else, opened the door to someone without the best interest of the Namikaze family in mind. If they had any plans of hurting someone within, they would simply not be able to go inside the house.

The first layer of active defence – read, painful and downright nasty attack that would be triggered in case of someone trying to trespass through anywhere that wasn't the front door – was a curse that was a stronger version of the Flagrante Curse, which would be activated at first contact, burning their target's limbs gradually as the time passed; after ten seconds, if the intruder didn't back off and persisted then they would be confronted by a downgrade version of the Cruciatus Curse (still rather painful nonetheless), and if even after all that they didn't get the message that they were rather unwelcomed (which would take about fifteen seconds) the last defence would be activated: a twisted spell version of the Draught of Living Death, which would only be possible to revert with the proper counter-curse.

Evidently, Tsubaki would be aware of the intruder since the first moment, as there would be all kinds of alarms which only she could hear. All in all, these protections would make seem Grimmauld Place welcome when Walburga Black was still alive. Funnily enough, most protections she had intended to use had been found in the Black Library, where Tsubaki had learnd a whole new level of Dark and wicked curses.

Evidently, she would place more protections later on if she deemed them necessary, however she felt confident that the existent ones were enough for the moment.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and early and Tsubaki woke up feeling refreshed and happy after the last two days sleeping in a tent – no matter how much she had made her sleeping bed comfortable, it simply wasn't the same. She was looking forward to start her new life and her mind was buzzing with activity. Leaving her son sleeping some more in her bed, she went about her morning ablutions, idly exploring her new rooms.

Last night, after she had cast the wards, she had barely looked around her new house as she ascended to the first floor with her still sleeping son in her arms in search of the Master bedroom, after telling Kakashi to choose any bedroom he wanted, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She had been more tired than she had thought and the spell casting had taken its toll on her already exhausted body.

Thankfully, the night had been a quiet one and there had been no intruders. She knew that that calm wouldn't last but she was happy to enjoy it as long as possible.

After she was ready for the day, she proceeded in adding all the protections she had neglected last night and heaved a sigh of relief when that was taken care of. Now, this house was more protected than a fortress and she severely doubted the existence of another place as well protected as her new home. Honestly, she would like to meet someone who could bypass all her defences and remain alive and whole.

Her shoulder much more light, she found the kitchen on the ground floor – which, she was very happy to find, was large, clean and actually furnished with all the necessary amenities – and rummaged in her ever-present bag for the shrunk cooling box where she had kept anything perishable.

A minute later, she was cooking happily as she caught a glance of Kakashi exercising on the training ground. The man had not left the house during the night to go and report to the Hokage, which was understandable. He wouldn't be doing his job right if he had believed in Tsubaki's reassurances that the house was protected at face-value and just left the Namikaze family alone and unguarded during the night.

Tsubaki had never lived with a strange man in her house before but she figured that she would get used to it eventually. As far as shinobi went, Kakashi wasn't that bad all things considered. He was quiet and he didn't butt his nose in her business needlessly. As long as his despicable book would not go near Ichigo and herself, she would be content to let him be.

Sometime later, she heard her son wake up and went about readying for the day ahead, leaving the breakfast foods within charmed platters to keep warm.

As usual, Ichigo was chirpy and excited about starting the day – she had never met a child as enthusiastic as his son as soon as he got out of bed, he was definitely a morning person – and let her mother know about everything that he wanted to do now that they had a new home and a new village to explore. Tsubaki indulged her son dotingly in his chattering and promised to take him to eat some ice-cream in the afternoon if he behaved during the day and helped her unpacking all their belongings.


	10. Chapter 9

AN: Hello again. Today I'm on a roll but don't get used to it, I'm just riding the high while I have the chance. Lol! Thanks for your swift comments and encouragements, I read them all.

In this chapter, we finally meet Naruto. YAY! I wonder how many people expected that Tsubaki and Naruto met in such a way, hum? I'll be happy to know your reactions to it.

It's likely that there are some misspellings in this chapter because I wrote it all in one go this evening (it's almost midnight here now) and only re-read it once as I was excited to upload it.

Hmmm, I still think there was something that I wanted to mention here, but I still don't remember. It must not be something really important, anyway.

Enjoy the long awaited meeting!

* * *

''Sweet as sugar. Hard as ice. Hurt me once, I'll kill you twice.'' - Unknown

* * *

CHAPTER 9 – Death's Aura

The first morning in the new Namikaze household passed in a whirlwind of unpacking, moving furniture around and painting walls with the help of magic, after Kakashi had stubbornly decided that he had to test the house's defences before he could let Tsubaki and Ichigo alone for any amount of time during the day.

The silver-haired ninja persisted in the idea that only after he had confirmed that its protection was up to par, that he would leave the house and do whatever he needed to do, and no matter what the young woman told him he would not budge.

 _Well, no better way of showing Kakashi that it's perfectly alright than test them himself._ Tsubaki had thought with a shrug, summoning a salve to help soothing the upcoming burns and the healing spell necessary already in her mind. _If he wants to be stubborn, he'll learn the hard way that when I say that the house is perfectly secure, I'm not joking._

Needless to say, the man got a very nasty shock when he had tried to go into the house through a window on the ground floor – even though, he was allowed to come and go as he wished, his only acceptable point of entrance was the front door, like any sensible person would do. Tsubaki had heard some people talk that ninjas were very fond of getting inside through windows even when the doors were reasonable accessible, and it seemed Kakashi was no exception to that. Well, Kakashi would quickly learn that trying to get through any other way than the front door was a big no-no in the Kamikaze household.

Anyway, the man received extensive burns in his arms and legs for his stubbornness and Tsubaki had to at least admire his resilience when Kakashi didn't even make a sound. However, she put the foot down and yanked him away when the ten seconds time frame of the curse passed. She didn't want to deal with a twitching ninja with nerve-endings frayed due to the downgraded Cruciatus Curse that followed. She was sure that the Hokage wouldn't say much about it, because it was Kakashi who had done it on his free will, after all, but she had no potion to treat the curse's after-effects at hand at the moment, and Kakashi would have to bear with painful after-affects until it passed on its own. The Hokage even might have the silly idea of foisting on her another ninja and Tsubaki didn't want that.

The young woman didn't say anything out loud except for ordering the man to show her the burns so she could heal them. Thankfully, he complied without fuss. The burns must hurt more than he was used to, if Kakashi didn't just eye-smiled and tried to downplay his injuries.

''Well?'', Tsubaki had simply asked with a raised brow, hands on her hips, after she had healed the man.

''The protections are acceptable, for now,'' Kakashi had answered begrudgingly, before he adopted his slouched posture and eye-smile and added, ''I'll be back in two hours, Tsubaki-san, please don't leave the house.''

She had just rolled her eyes and nodded, before re-entering the house, mind already on unpacking and making the house feel like home.

True to his word, Kakashi returned two hours later only to be amazed at the already great transformation that occurred in his absence; Tsubaki had not lost time in doing any kind of magic, while she and Ichigo were alone, that she didn't wish anyone to know about. Sure, the man would wonder how the hell she had changed the walls' colours or moved any heavy furniture around, for example, but he didn't ask and the young witch wasn't offering any kind of explanation either.

Their Modus Operandi seemed to be _Don't Ask, Don't Tell,_ and frankly she was happy with that, though she was realizing that as the time passed, it was becoming more difficult to hide everything that she could do, as had been the case of the house warding last night. Evidently, she hadn't planned to be accompanied by a shinobi at the time, but there was no way in hell that she would step inside and sleep in the house before she had put adequate wards. Oh, well, anything that could not be explained, she would mention that was Family Secret techniques and be done with it. After all, by their own laws they couldn't just come out and ask about Clan matters without heavy repercussions.

Tsubaki didn't worry that someone – ally or foe – would ask Ichigo questions about his mother's secret powers. She had already talked to her son and explained that some things were to remain secret and the boy had understood and promised that he wouldn't say anything. She had believed him but, evidently, Ichigo was only four and she could not expect that something glaringly abnormal or incriminating wouldn't slip eventually so she had cast a secrecy charm on him just to be on the safe side.

She prepared a late lunch for all of them, before they would go out to do some shopping in the afternoon; she had no more food available and she wanted to buy some other essentials to the house, such as hygiene products for them both and some other missing amenities to the house just for starters.

Kakashi followed the Kamikaze duo around like a shadow, shamelessly with his orange book in full view. After glaring at it for a couple of seconds, Tsubaki decided to inconspicuously cast a spell on it to ward it against innocent eyes just to be on the safe side. She didn't really believed that the man would show the book to Ichigo if the boy asked – because she knew, eventually, her son would as he had inherited his mother's curiosity – but one never knew if the boy would catch a glance of it even by accident. For all that she was more than happy in answering any question Ichigo had, it was still ten years too early to even coming closer to that subject.

Tsubaki noticed that wherever they went, there were already all kinds of gossip going around. Thankfully, no one dared to talk to her directly besides the shopkeepers where she made her purchases and even then all of them were nothing more than polite, even though she could sense their curiosity and eagerness in confirming what everyone heard going around. The young woman suspected that Kakashi's shadow had something to do with the masses' impressive restrain and inwardly she was grateful for it.

Albeit no one talked to her openly about her being related to the Yondaime Hokage or her son being an Uchiha, Tsubaki could hear them all just fine. At first, her instinct had been to scowl at them and beating a hasty retreat as she had never liked being the centre of attention, but she reminded herself that this was what she had wanted to happen and she had to just bear with it for the time being.

Just like in the Wizarding World, Konoha held many inhabitants with extensive imaginations when it became to presume others' personal lives and also fancied the more dramatic stories. Some comments were surprising still accurate of what happened the day before, while others were already so outlandish that if she hadn't been already used to hear impossible tales about her person, she was sure that she would stand there and gape like an out-of-water fish in disturbed incredulity as she listened to people who had never met her babble about her personal business without a care in the world.

In the few hours that she had been in the public's eye, she had heard so many tales that she couldn't count. For example, the more popular one said that she had come to Konoha to demand the Kamikaze and Uchiha states over to her, that she was only interested in the money and prestige – there was some versions of this one, a few more preposterous than others, but the reasoning was overall the same. Other said that Ichigo could only be Itachi's son because everyone else in the clan besides Sasuke (Itachi's only brother) had been killed by the Uchiha prodigy, and Tsubaki had come to Konoha for protection because Itachi had changed his mind and wanted to kill his girlfriend and his son after all. ( _Seriously? Itachi would be eleven or twelve at the time if he had been the father! What the hell are they thinking?)_

On and on they went, each and every one more ridiculous than the other, and Tsubaki had a sneaky suspicion that not all gossip had been passed through the natural grapevine, so to speak. There were 'outside' forces at work here to try and undermine her standing in the village from the beginning, and if she hadn't Diplomatic Immunity to protect her, she was sure that at least the Civilian Council would have a field day with her and force her in some kind of situation that she would certainly not like at all, not to mention that as his son was a Uchiha they would have some kind of plan, for the good of the village, of course. ( _For the great good, of course,_ she thought cynically.)

She had wanted to be known around the village before she started to make waves, but this was overkill. Well, she had never planned in conforming to peoples' expectations and doing everything to be liked by them. All in all, she was rather indifferent if the people in Konoha liked her personally or not, as long as they didn't actively go out of their way to majorly disturb her life or hurt her precious people. She could admit from experience that it would be a deed rather difficult to accomplish and she had no reason or intention of doing so.

Not long after they had started their shopping, the witch had decided to charm Ichigo's ears so her son would not have the dubious pleasure of listening to the whispers of what the town's folks thought about their arrival and thankfully the boy was happy in his blissful ignorance.

A good point was that she hadn't felt any threat or great malicious intent directed at her or Ichigo during her shopping. Sure, some civilians seemed to think some not so nice thoughts about her and maybe would like have the balls to show her their displeasure at seeing an unknown upstart on her village who they believed didn't have good intentions towards their people. However, they weren't so stupid that they would do anything when there were ninjas everywhere and Kakashi now and then seemed to look at a select few and silently stare them down before he returned to his dubious literature. How he could read and do his job perfectly at the same time, it was beyond Tsubaki, but she admitted that that took some great skills.

Nonetheless, she heaved a sigh of relief when her purchases for the day were complete (she had put everything away in her bottomless bag) and she could leave the centre of the village where the market place was located behind, and walked towards one of the several children's parks in Konoha after she had asked Kakashi the way.

* * *

Tsubaki was happy to find that the park was large and not overpopulated as she wasn't sure that she could take many more people gossiping about her that day without reacting in a not-so-nice way.

She summoned Mamoru when Ichigo asked for the beast and he was more than happy to sprawl on the grass and mock-fight with the grim, if his giggles and giddy shouts were anything to go by. Thankfully, the animal was careful and after the first few times that had happened, Tsubaki didn't worry anymore that his son would be accidently hurt by the huge beast.

Kakashi, she saw from the corner of her eye, was satisfied to perch himself in the next bench a few metres away, his lone eye intent on his book, and Tsubaki was content to enjoy the warm afternoon sun and the peaceful atmosphere around her and watch her son being carefree and playing with his best friend. She knew Ichigo wasn't used to have other kids around. Even at the palace, the boy interacted with the other children there just fine but never really connected with any of them, preferring to play with Mamoru when he had the chance. She wasn't sure if her son was a natural loner and simply preferred to be on his own, or if he simply still hadn't found someone that he really wanted to be his friend. In any case, she was hopeful that Ichigo would find at least a little human friend now that they were settled in Konoha for the foreseeable future.

After some time, Ichigo claimed he was tired and asked for his promised treat. Glancing at Kakashi, who stared directly back, she nodded in direction of her son and the shinobi stood and made his way over to her before he sat in the place Tsubaki had just liberated. Mamoru approached him quickly and the man tensed subtly before he was rewarded with slobber all over his right hand, as the other had raised back to save his precious book from the ferocious beast.

Tsubaki let out a very unlady-like snort before she could stop herself and Ichigo giggled gleefully for all his worth, as Kakashi simply stared at the grim.

''Mamoru seems to have taken a liking to you, Kakashi-san,'' she commented with amusement in her voice and her eyes sparkling with mischief. ''I'll go buy ice-cream, do you want some to?''

''No, thank you,'' the Copy-Nin simply said as he tried to clean his hand on an handkerchief that he took out from somewhere in his uniform, while Mamoru stared at him with his head cocked to the side and the little boy still giggled amused.

There was a vending stall selling ice-cream cones not far away from where Tsubaki had been seated and she made her way there without hurry. She knew that her son was safe with Kakashi and Mamoru. She took the opportunity to try and relax a little; she was a little tense after the shopping debacle. She had thought she would have taken unknown people gossiping all kind of outlandish stories about her better than she actually had. It seemed that some habits from the Wizarding World still remained in her conscious. Tsubaki decided to re-start her physical training next morning; it would help her relieve some mounting stress and she needed to keep in top-notch form anyway.

As she approached the stall, she witnessed something that for a second froze her entire being to where she was standing and mentally took her away, forcing her to relive a memory from her childhood that she'd never wanted to revisit again. She had been preoccupied with her own thoughts and hadn't noticed or heard what had happened up until that very moment.

There, some feet away in front of her, was a thirty-something woman with long, brown hair and eyes glaring hatefully at a blond haired, blue-eyed, skinny boy dressed in a blind-orange jumpsuit who didn't appear to be more than eight, if that. Said boy had just been slapped by the woman with an almost manic light in her eyes, a large teddy bear in her hand as if it was a cursed object. The kid was now being insulted in such a way that no child ever should be, being called things like 'demon', 'murderer', and other names. He simply stood there taking it, as if it was a usual occurrence and he was already resigned to his lot in life. There were adults not far from them but no one seemed intent on doing something to calm the situation, in fact, they all seemed to hide their own children from view as if warding them against evil.

 _What the fuck?!_

Tsubaki's blood froze for a moment before she saw red and marched purposely towards the duo. The air around them dropped a good dozen degrees in a matter of seconds and the atmosphere became almost oppressive with her icy fury. She was beyond caring, though. On the list of people that she despised the most, child abusers of any kind were up right there besides Voldemort and Death Eaters, and as there were no dark wizards in this world, it meant child abusers were 'Enemy number one' on her list.

After her harsh treatment at the Dursley's 'tender mercies' and the wilful ignorance of the neighbours at Privet Drive and the teachers at the muggle school, whom she all hated in different measures and for different reasons, but hated all the same, and then her not-so-kind treatment by the Wizarding World, Mia Potter had vowed to herself that she would never ignore a hurting child and turn a blind eye like many had done when she had been the one in need. She had solemnly promised that she would do everything in her power to make it right, regardless of others' expectations or opinions on the matter.

Sure, if she had seen a mother/father just educating their child with a smack, or such, she would not interfere. She was reasonable enough to understand the difference between abuse and physical punishment adequate to misdeed and age of the child. However, what she was seeing now could not be considered anything other than downright abuse, she even doubted that the woman was related to the kid by the cruel words she was spouting, but the worst, she thought, was that everyone else was just looking on and appeared to agree with that vicious spiel. She could practically feel their eagerness and interest in the scene in front of them, even without using _Legillimency_.

It was maddening! It was outrageous! It was absolutely inadmissible! She wouldn't stand there and just be another mindless and cruel sheep that allowed such heinous offence to continue!

People all around started to feel the change in the air and became rather uncomfortable; Tsubaki payed them absolutely no mind, served them right for being bullies even if they were only in an accessory way. She put a hand gently on the boy's shoulder and he flinched harshly (another reminder of her not-so-innocent childhood), her eerily green eyes glaring fiercely at the revolting woman, making her finally shut up and gulp nervously.

''Are you alright, kid?'', she asked gently, sending a bit of comforting magic into him through the shoulder she was touching, making him relax a fraction.

The boy's blue eyes were teary but he was not crying as he nodded, but his bottom lip trembled with the exertion of trying to contain his emotions inside, making Tsubaki's bleeding hurt for him. Thankfully, the slap didn't seem to have been too strong as the redness in his cheek was already fading already.

As the unknown woman seemed to plan to high-tail it out of there, the Namikaze and Kurosawa Clan Head shot her a lethal glare in warning so fierce that she was sure her eyes were glowing with the full power of the Mistress of Death and the woman seemed to freeze in her place, dry swallowing in fear. Everyone else seemed torn between getting away from the red-haired woman who exuded such chilling power and stay rooted to their places and see what would happen next. Tsubaki decided right then and there that she didn't care for any of those adults. They had been perfectly fine in staying in the side-lines and silently cheering the woman on, but now that she seemed to be on the losing side of the equation, they appeared as happy to let her take the fall alone.

Tsubaki sneered at them all in disgust in such a way that even Snape would have been proud. Begrudgingly, but proud all the same. They flinched under her gaze and many took a step back – as if that would help them.

She felt Kakashi approaching from behind her with Ichigo and Mamoru at his side, but he stopped a few feet away and remained silent.

 _Good, I'm in no mood to argue with him right now. This way there's something else he can relay to his Hokage and tell him directly where I stand when I see a child being abused by the civilians of his own village and no one does a thing to help._

''What's your name, kid?'', she asked the boy; once more in such gently manner that the deadly glare the masses just received seemed like a dream, or rather a nightmare.

The kid seemed calmer now, the soothing magic doing its job and the presence of someone protecting him from his abuser taking clear effect on his body.

''Uzumaki Naruto.''

 _On no, no, no. It can't be! My nephew, the son of the Yondaime Hokage treated in such a horrible manner. How dare they?!_

If Tsubaki had been furious before, now she was beyond that. She was so livid that she was becoming numb with the intensity of her emotions. Well, at least she had figured that no one seemed to know the boy's parentage. There was no way those simpering fools would mistreat the son of their beloved Yondaime if they knew. She didn't know why but she would find out and she only hoped that the answers she got pleased her, because if not, she would raise even more waves than she had already planned to, and wouldn't care if she made many important people upset.

A derisive snort rudely interrupted her inner musings and half made plans to storm to the Hokage Tower right now and demand an explanation from the leader of the Leaf himself. The revolting woman seemed to have a strong backbone or didn't possess any self-preservation instincts whatsoever, as she didn't appear to be able to keep quiet for long and her expression was almost wild. Disturbingly, she reminded Tsubaki of a combination between Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange but without magic.

''As if a demon deserves a name, bah!'', the woman sneered, seemingly beyond caring what she was saying. Tsubaki seethed silently, trying to rein her temper in – her memory from last night when she had almost killed someone intentionally still fresh in her mind – and at the same sending more soothing magic into Naruto. ''No one in this village wants him. It would be better if he had just died when they tried to kill him all those times, but no, he's still here and my brother was arrested because of this filthy monster.''

''THAT'S ENOUGH!'', Tsubaki shouted, finally losing her lid on her furious temper and all around them harsh winds billowed seemingly from nowhere. The temperature had dropped a few more degrees and now one could say that it was actually winter in Konoha. Her brilliant emerald eyes radiated contained power and any one with shinobi training could almost taste her magic – which they took for chakra – in the air, it was so potent. Oddly enough, only the adults were being affected. Every child present would be completely at ease if not from the scene happening before their eyes. Everyone apparently lost their vocal cords and was disconcertingly silent for a while.

Kakashi had wisely remained where he stood when Tsubaki shot him a warning look. She hadn't done anything wrong so he better remember she was no average citizen of Konoha. She had nothing against Kakashi, but if he interfered in this matter, she would not allow it, and he apparently knew it as well.

Ichigo had let go of Mamoru and, seemingly carefree, not bothered at all by the heavy atmosphere that his own mother had created, crossed the distance until he was besides Naruto and extended his hand. Tsubaki looked at her son for a moment and her heart almost burst from her chest with overflowing love when he smiled at her before reaching out and taking his cousin's hand in his. Naruto seemed numb with shocking awe with the unexpected gesture. She nodded at Ichigo in approval and the black-haired boy proceeded to drag his new-found cousin away from this mess. All this had happened quickly and silently, the cruel woman still stroke with sheer fright, her eyes alarmingly wide and her body trembling slightly.

What no one knew was that Tsubaki was emanating Death's power due to her boiling and uninhibited emotions and to any one unluckily enough to be near her, they would feel something not unlike the Dementors' effects, only much weaker. She had learned all this during her training with the Deathly Hallows, she knew it could happen but she had never expected that it would be so soon after she arrived in Konoha and caused by a civilian woman no less. One thing she had been happy to find out, though, was that unlike true Dementors' powers, her 'Deathly Aura', as she called it, had no effects on children usually – due to their innate innocence and purity; though, if the child was a consummate shinobi, she wasn't sure.

When Ichigo and Naruto were sufficiently far away, Tsubaki turned directly to the woman again and asked very sicken-sweetly, her emotions still roiling but her voice perfectly controlled. Her face, a thunderous expression and her green eyes almost glowing, added to her almost child-like tone, she made a very fearsome picture indeed. Everyone knew in that instant that she was not someone to harass lightly under pain of never being able to do it again in life.

''Now, where were we?'' When the woman didn't responded, the Mistress of Death went on, undisturbed, almost as if she was just talking about the weather and not threatening someone. ''I've mentioned something similar to a Kumo Ninja just yesterday before I turned him in to dust, but to your benefit, I'll say it one more time. I won't tolerate anyone who tries to hurt my family.'' She looked directly at the woman in front of her as if to make her point. She usually didn't like to make an example out of someone to warn any future misdeeds, but she figured it was for the best that everyone understood where Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki stood concerning the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi lest they had some hare-brained idea that would displease her even more than what she had already heard, which wasn't already a small matter. ''You see, I am a Uzumaki as well as a Namikaze-'' at this, almost anyone widened their eyes in shock, no doubt realizing who she was and thinking what ramifications would come of such a situation when the woman defending the 'demon-brat' was a Hime with (presumed) political power. ''- and as such, Naruto is my nephew and under my protection. Be warned, all of you, '' she added as she looked around, seeing an ANBU team near Kakashi but ignoring them for the moment. She wasn't doing anything wrong and she doubted they would be foolish enough to take her by force due to her still uncertain political position. Plus, with the bombshell that she was Naruto's aunt, it would not go over well if Konoha's military force alienated her unnecessarily. ''If my nephew is ever again abused by any way, shape or form, by anyone regardless of status, I'll take appropriate measures to resolve the situation. And let me tell you that I'm not someone who appreciates overly much turning blind eyes, sweeps under the rugs and easy ways out.''

With one last glowing glare all around, Tsubaki summarily dismissed them as unimportant and strode with her head held high towards her waiting son and nephew, who both were gazing at her with worshipful eyes and almost blinding smiles.

Let them make of her words what they wanted to. Let them spread that what here today as a warning that Namikaze Tsubaki wasn't someone to mess around with lest she ruined their lives, one way or another.


	11. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: I don't Harry Potter or Naruto, sadly.

AN: Hi, I'm back!

Thankfully my muse has been nice to me lately and I've been able to write another chapter without much frustration.

As usual, thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited.

Enjoy!

* * *

''They said: 'be the person you needed as a kid'. This honestly changed me into who I am today.'' – Unknown

* * *

CHAPTER 10 – Naruto

The tense confrontation hadn't lasted much more than five minutes, even if that, though for everyone – shinobi and civilian alike – witnessing it would seem much longer than that.

As soon as Tsubaki had withdrawn her attention from the 'child abuser', the woman had high-tailed it out of there as fast as her legs could carry her, in absolute silence and not meeting anyone's eyes and no one had stopped her either. Promptly, the ANBU proceeded to order the by-standers to return to their lives and leave the premises. As the 'show' was over, anyway, they gladly followed the masked shinobi's commands.

As that was happening – which Tsubaki dutifully ignored – she was taking the time now to examine her new-found nephew more closely. For starters, she hadn't noticed the three tattoo-like whiskers on each side of the boy's face, which the witch suspected, were side effects of being the jailor of the nine-tails. Now that she was aware of the kid's true age (he had recently turned nine on October, 10th), she thought the boy was too skinny and small for his age – if what she was starting to suspect was true, then the boy lacked some kind of responsible adult in his life and had basically been raising himself; so it was no wonder, all things considered. The jumpsuit he wore –besides being a headache-inducing orange – had seemed better days, if the random rips and holes were any indication; not to mention it was rather dirty, but one would never know if it was due to lack of frequent washing or caused by the usual outdoors-playing of young boys.

However, what it had surprised Tsubaki the most was Naruto's facial features. Without much effort, the boy could be a _chibi_ Minato; the kid was practically a clone of the man himself. How the people in Konoha couldn't see that was completely beyond Tsubaki.

Well, at least she had one more reasoning to throw at the Hokage, when the old leader demanded to know why Tsubaki had called Naruto her nephew. The other was, of course, the boy had presenting himself as an Uzumaki. In that case, they were distant cousins – not that it really mattered in the greater scheme of things.

Speaking of Hokage – she hoped that the man had a very good reason why Naruto's paternity was entirely unknown and that the boy had been basically thrown to the wolves and told to sink or swim on his own. Worse, it seemed that the villagers were used to have their way where it concerned Naruto – she hadn't seen any shinobi trying to stop the nasty woman from doing her despicable speech nor had they even interfered when the boy had been slapped.

One would think the Hokage would try to better protect the son of his former successor even if the masses were unaware of the boy's true progeny. Plus, blindly attacking a Jinchuuriki could have severe consequences, even putting aside the fact that no child deserved to be mistreated in such an unforgivable way. Who knew what would happen if the Kyuubi 'woke up' and lashed out in defence? Were these people even thinking at all? Or were they just turning the poor boy into their scape goat to vent their anger and grief and refusing to see that Naruto was just a little kid and not the one to blame for the tragedy that had befallen Konoha nine years ago?

Tsubaki didn't know how Minato's seal worked exactly, so she wasn't sure – she had acquired some knowledge about seals, as she was part Uzumaki, but nothing really that complex – however the same could be said about nearly everyone in Konoha. It simply was something too important to spread around, lest some enemy ninja got wind of it and tried to control the boy – and subsequently the demon – with this kind of Intel for their own plans. In short, they were playing with a dangerous kind of fire – not unlike _Fiendfyre_ , just as much as uncontrollable and deadly – and they appeared utterly oblivious to it.

Everyone appeared to know that Naruto carried the nine-tails inside of him – which, by the way, she believed it was a great failure on protecting supposed classified information – but did they even know exactly what that meant? Basically, Naruto was the only thing that was between the fox and the village, keeping them all safe from harm. And that was how they repaid him for his huge sacrifice? How dare they? She was sure that if he knew, Minato would roll in his grave in outrage of what his people thought about his ultimate sacrifice.

Tsubaki internally fumed just thinking about it and vowed to get answers. She had no idea about the reason for this, regardless she was certain that she would raise hell and no one accountable would be spared from her righteous and impressive temper.

 _If the old man answers me with something akin to the 'Greater Good', by Merlin, I'll not be responsible for my actions!_

Calming her emotions fiercely with her strong _Occlumency_ shields, she kneeled in front of the two boys that were now her whole world. Ichigo seemed calm as he smiled at his mother, half-hugging Mamoru to him, while Naruto was nervously shifting his sandaled feet through the low grass and peeking every so often at Tsubaki, his previously beaming smile nowhere to be seen. She was sure the boy was full of questions and she intended on answering them, no matter what some people would have to say about it.

Kakashi and the ANBU were still standing there in silence simply staring at her. The witch decided to keep on ignoring them for the moment; if they needed something, they could speak up – not that she planned on indulging them if they said something that she didn't care for.

''Are you two alright?'', Tsubaki asked gently, resting a hand in each boy's skinny, small shoulder, and gazing at them both attentively. She received prompt nods. ''Are you hurt anywhere else, Naruto-kun?'', she added, after making sure that the red mark on her nephew's face had already completely faded away.

''I'm fine, onee-san,'' Naruto said, without looking at her, fidgeting all the while. Mamoru nudged him with his big, wet nose on his right cheek and the boy answered by patting awkwardly on the huge, black head. ''Um…''

''What is it?''

''Is it true?'', the blond-haired kid blurted out nervously. He seemed to steel his courage and continued, but he still didn't looked at her. ''Is it true what you said about being my aunt?''

Despite not making any obvious moves or sounds, Tsubaki could tell that everyone still present would like to know the answer to that question as well. She suspected that only Kakashi was aware of whom Naruto's parents had really been. As she still didn't know the exact reasons for all the secrecy, she decided in answering vaguely for the time being. She could always explain everything more in detail later; besides the playground, surrounded by ANBU, just fresh of meeting for the first time, was not the ideal place for such revelations, she reckoned.

''Yes, it is,'' Tsubaki confirmed with a warm smile.

Naruto looked up at her in shock and seemed to be at loss for words. In spite of having heard her say it, it appeared that only now he was allowing himself to believe that it was actually true and not a distasteful joke on him.

No one besides Ichigo – who jumped with a joyful shout at the confirmation with another blinding smile before trying his best in strangling the grim with his small arms in a hug, not that he was that effective – had reacted visibly to her words. They were veteran shinobi, after all; they were experts in masking their emotions and thoughts to the world at large, besides the masks helped a great deal.

Tsubaki decided that they should take the conversation to some more appropriated place, so Naruto could process this new information without rush and they could be more comfortable as well.

''Why don't you come and have dinner with us tonight, Naruto-kun?'' she offered after she stood up again. ''We just arrive at the village last night so you can tell us all about Konoha while we eat. What do you say?''

Naruto stared at her in utter surprise, before nodding vigorously, still speechless. One would think that he had never been invited to eat at someone else's house – wait, she mused with a mental grimace, after what she had discovered this afternoon perhaps that was actually the truth.

Before Tsubaki could say anything else, one of the ANBU – a monkey-masked one this time – raised a hand to stop her and the boys from leaving. The unreasonably optimistic side of her mind had hoped that the shinobi would just let her go, but alas that was not to be. Kakashi was just coolly standing there, watching the proceedings as if he had nothing to do it and he was a mere spectator on the whole scene. She didn't blame him; she had tried to do the same but had failed miserably. It was not that she had actually anything to fear from the masked ninjas, she simply was in no mood for more hassles. She had reached her quota for the day, thank you very much.

''Is there something the matter, Monkey-san?'', she asked evenly nonetheless, when the ninja didn't say anything right away; there was no reason to give away her honest thoughts on the issue.

''The Civilian Council demands your presence as soon as possible, Namikaze-san,'' Monkey-san said blandly but with authority.

 _Well, they work fast at least,_ she thought unsurprised as she raised an enquiring eyebrow. _Not that I'll play their game._

''May I know the reason for the summons?''

''We were not informed of it, Namikaze-san,'' the man – outwardly was impossible to discern the gender, but Tsubaki could sense it through her powers anyway – responded in the same previous tone.

 _Let's see what those greedy fools think of this,_ she thought with a mental evil chuckle. _Let's have some fun, shall we?_

''I don't know the reason myself, so I have to decline their invitation,'' she said almost airily, channelling a bit of her good friend Luna (the blonde Ravenclaw was such a free spirit that Tsubaki couldn't help but take some inspiration out of her), blatantly ignoring the fact that the summons was not intended to be optional. ''Regardless, I don't understand why they would summoned me.'' Here, she adopted a rather believable – if she said so herself – confused expression. ''As Head of two Ninja Clans, I really have no business with the civilian side of the Council. Please tell them that before they demand my presence in any way, they should be properly apprised of my actual status in Konoha. Hokage-sama has all the information necessary, I believe.''

Finished with her explanation, she smiled benignly at the ANBU team, just because she could, and turned to her boys, effectively dismissing the ANBU team, safe in the knowledge that they wouldn't dare to try anything untoward her. No sane and loyal ninja would ever force or attack a Clan Head in their own village without a _very_ good and strong reason.

The Hokage's reason for Naruto's mistreatment and the games of greedy bastards would be put aside for the moment; she was sure those problems could wait until the next day. There were other more important matters for now and she wanted to spend the evening getting to know her nephew better and enjoying the tranquillity while it lasted.

''Let's go home, shall we?'', she asked the kids, still smiling and offering a hand to each of them.

Both boys took a hand on their smaller ones and seemed happy to leave the playground behind without another glance, Mamoru trotting cheerfully at their side as it deemed the ANBU still standing there non-threatening to its charges. Kakashi promptly followed behind them, after some kind of sign exchanged between him and his comrades, his faithful book out once more.

The conversation on the way home was upbeat and light, Tsubaki steering them away from any kind of heavy topic, not sharing anything of great importance with the exception of the boys' favourite foods; Ichigo's was _onigiri_ – just like Itachi's had been – and Naruto's was ramen, which Tsubaki soon realised the boy would eat at any given moment of the day and in very large quantities when he could get away with it. This brought up the mention of his favourite ramen restaurant and two of the very few people who actually cared for Naruto and treated him kindly. Tsubaki made a mental note to visit the place soon and thank them for taking care of her nephew.

After a quick tour of the house and an 'awesome dinner that was almost as great as ramen' (the only negative points had been some 'yucky veggies', which had been begrudgingly consumed), the woman, the two boys and the shinobi had settled in the living room to relax after such a tiresome day. Kakashi was seated in an armchair in the corner of the room, appearing to be engrossed in his porn, though Tsubaki wasn't fooled, while the other three chatted into the night with a comforting cup of hot cocoa at their sides.

The man hadn't said a word since their return to the house and she hadn't much cared to start conversation with him either. She didn't know his opinion about Naruto, but she had thought that, as his former sensei's son, Kakashi would have some kind of relationship with the boy. She was wrong, though and for some unknown reason she felt disappointed in him. It was quite clear they were complete strangers. Sure, she really wouldn't expected him to raise Naruto by himself – he couldn't have been more than a young teen himself when Minato had died, she reckoned, and taking care of a baby full time would be quite impractical, him being a Jonin and all – but she had at least hoped that Kakashi would have taken some part in the boy's life when a little older. For a moment, she had had half a mind in raging at him for abandoning Naruto but soon she caught herself. She wanted to see if Kakashi would come to her and tell her his reasons; she'd decide after that if the man deserved a good tongue-lashing and maybe one – or three – painful hexes for good measure.

Even though Naruto had never right-out said it, Tsubaki was intelligent enough to read between the lines and making reasonable deductions, and had garnered much information about his life with only a very slight peek in his mind for help. She didn't want him to lie due to unnecessary shame or misguided feelings that he deserved it.

She had been there and done that.

To say that Naruto's short nine years of life had been unpleasant, it would be the understatement of the century. She didn't know who – between Naruto and Mia Potter – had had the worst childhood. Granted, she had lived with and been loved by their parents her first fifteen months but she didn't remember any of it – besides the night they were killed, which in and of itself was something that she'd rather forget – and then she had grown up until she was eleven with the wrong knowledge that she was a burden and that her parents were basically drunk good-for-nothings, being treated as a indentured servant and occasional punching bag. In Naruto's case, the boy had had really no one there constantly for him since the day he had been born. From what he could remember, the people at the orphanage would do the least possible to take care of his needs – when they even deigned themselves to do it at all – before he had been promptly kicked out at age five without a by-your-leave, unconcerned that the boy would live in the streets. Sure, the Hokage had given him an apartment to live by himself when the old man had found out – which Naruto, who didn't know any better, thought it was great – and he received a monthly allowance that every orphan had a right to. However, this money never seemed to stretch until the end of the month because the shop owners and employees increased their prices when Naruto went to buy something and sometimes they only gave him things that no one else would want, still with inflated prices.

 _No wonder the boy is as small and skinny as he is. Being able to eat only ramen, because it is so cheap but not really that healthy, the kid can't get all the nutrients he needs,_ she thought outraged, mentally writing another point on her to-do list. Somehow, she would manage to know each and every one of them and she refused to step a foot inside the shops and spend even a measly Ryo there. She would make all her shopping out of the village if necessary. It really wasn't that hard to do with Apparition and all.

Unfortunately, she was sure that there was nothing that she really could do about past misdeeds, but she would be damned if she allowed that outrageous behaviours to continue with impunity. Tsubaki would give them a new meaning to 'passive-aggressive'. She would pay them back in her own way and the best of it all was that they couldn't really do anything about it. In fact, they had been beyond lucky that she had shopped this afternoon before she found out. She was sure as hell she would never again grace their doorstep again if they were part of her new-made _Shit List_ , which would feature every single shop that had wronged her nephew in the past.

With less effort than should have been necessary, Tsubaki managed to persuade Naruto to spend the night. (Conspicuously, she had transfigured a bed for the night in Ichigo's bedroom.) She was sure that was his first time sleeping in someone else's house for the night as well, though she didn't mention it to the already self-conscious boy.

* * *

The slightly tense silence between Tsubaki and Kakashi was still on-going the next day.

Frankly, after she had spent a great part of the night thinking about the happenings of the previous day, she was not really in the mood to get into the reason why Naruto had been essentially abandoned by everyone that claimed to have been close to Namikaze Minato when the man had been alive. And Kakashi didn't seem that eager to share any of his points either, but the look in her eyes when she had caught him staring at her once had spoken volumes to the Copy-Nin, if his prompt averted gaze was any indication. Tsubaki had decided to let him come to her and tell her his reasons, but that didn't mean that she had to like it and just act oblivious to it.

The only thing she said to him – and rather aloofly at that – was that she was going out after breakfast.

Alone.

Evidently, Kakashi was not happy about that statement but after some KI sent his way and an impressive deadly glare, he seemed to change his tune very quickly. He was to stay and protect the kids – as needless as that was inside a fortress-like house – and she was rather capable of protecting herself during the short trip to the Hokage Tower, thank you very much.

Anyway, after she had woken the boys, given them breakfast and convinced Naruto to stay for a couple hours to 'keep an eye' on Ichigo and Mamoru while she would run an errand, her mind-set turned fully to the impromptu meeting ahead.

Impromptu to the Hokage, that is.

* * *

Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki was a woman on a mission.

She had discreetly apparated as closer to the Hokage as she could get – having absolutely no patience to put up with the gossiping masses so early in the morning – and proceeded to make her way up the floors until she reached the Hokage's office.

At this time, everyone inside seemed to know who she was and, with barely a look at her thunderous expression, were smart enough to step out of her way and not offering unwanted greetings.

Tsubaki demanded answers and didn't care for empty excuses. If the old leader's responses weren't sufficiently satisfactory, their mutual harmony would die a quick and painful death.

 _May the gods have mercy on him, for I shall have none._

After a swift change of words with the secretary who seemed more than happy to inform her that the Hokage was alone, no doubt anxious to have Tsubaki's intense gaze as far from her person as possible, the young witch knocked on the heavy wooden door and ignored the two ANBU that were tensing in the shadows as if ready to attack.

''Enter.''

Tsubaki did so and closed the door firmly beside her, proposedly walking until she was directly in front of the Hokage's desk, forcing the man to give her his full attention right away.

(She could feel the three ANBU in the shadows shifting minimally as if waiting their leader's order to take her out, but again, she ignored them.)

''Tsubaki-san, is there something that I can help you with? I was under the impression that our arranged meeting was tomorrow?'', the old man asked, allowing his voice to sound slightly confused.

She had to give it to him, the man didn't even react at the way she was glaring at him.

''Hokage-sama, I'm not one to pointless conversation, so I'll be blunt,'' the woman said, her voice low and chilly and her eyes glistening almost ominously. She was sure the man had a good idea of why she was there and she was in mood to pretend otherwise. ''Tell me, Hokage-sama, is there a reason why my nephew, the son of the revered Yondaime, was been treated all his life as this village's pariah and no one saw fit to do anything against it? Treated like a criminal when his only 'crime' was to be chosen to be the single thing protecting this bigoted village from the Kyuubi no Kitsune? Is that how Konoha appreciates the great sacrifices made by my brother? By trying to kill an innocent child whenever the chance presents itself? Have you any idea what being mistreated and called a 'demon' can do to a child's psych? I would have thought that your people would have more common sense than that and learn from others' mistakes. Do you want Naruto to turn like the container of the One-Tail in Suna? ''

The old leader opened his mouth, his face deeply grave, but Tsubaki raised her hand to stop him. She was far from done and she had to talk before she became so overcome with her righteous fury that she would not be able to speak anymore.

The temperature was dropping considerably in the room and no one was moving.

''I'm still not finished!'', she rebuked a little more forcefully than she had intended. ''Is there a reason why my nephew has basically been abandoned and forced to raise himself when so many people had claimed to be friends with his father? Or better yet, why he doesn't even know who his parents are? What are your real motives to leave a child in the dark and only offering rare little bits of comfort at best when any other child would take these same gestures for granted?''

This question reminded her painfully of the way Dumbledore used to act towards her. His grandfatherly act always present whenever they talked at the end of the school year and she, starved for any kind of affection, blindly believed anything the old headmaster had told her. If she found out that the Sandaime was, in any way, similar to that old wizard when it came to Naruto, she would have to take serious measures. She would not allow his nephew to be manipulated in any way that went against his best interest by anyone, no matter their reasons or status. Anything else be damned.

''Please, do enlighten me, Hokage-sama,'' Tsubaki finished as frostily as the office seemed to be at the moment, maintaining her steady and furious gaze on the old man, who looked right back at her without wavering. ''For I am unable to understand the reason for such blatant cruelty and lack of appreciation towards my nephew.''

The room was as silent as a tomb for several moments; no one moved and barely breathed in the aftermath of Tsubaki's explosive temper. There was something to be said about read-haired women's and their fiery temperaments.

Finally, the Sandaime sighed heavily, breaking their fierce staring contest. He procured his prized pipe and after taking a moment to light it up, he took a pull from it before he regarded thoughtfully Tsubaki, who was still standing furious in front of his desk, waiting for the man's explanations.

''Please, have a sit, Tsubaki-san,'' the old Hokage offered considerately, before he sighed again.

Tsubaki did as suggested, after she hesitated for a second. She was certain that it would be a long talk and there was no sense to spend all that standing when a perfectly good chair to seat just besides her. The temperature came back to much more manageable levels but she barely noticed.

The leader of the village didn't say anything, but she felt it anyway, when he activated some kind of powerful seal on the side of his desk. A secrecy seal if she had to take a guess.

''Firstly, how did you know that Naruto was Minato's son?'', he asked in a no-nonsense tone.

''Really?'', she stopped herself from snorting in a much undignified manner, but just barely. ''The child is practically a copy of his father. What I find more surprising is that no one had cottoned in yet. Plus, I am an Uzumaki and a sensor; as soon as I felt his unholy amounts of chakra, I realized that he contained the Kyuubi, not to mention that the villagers aren't shy about calling him 'demon' to his face. I just put two and two together; it was quite simple actually.''

In fact, she really couldn't sense chakra without actually searching for it, unlike souls, but it was something that no one needed to know.

The Sandaime appeared to believe her – and, really, what reasons had he to not to? – and nodded. The ANBU seemed to relax minutely after that.

''Your concerns are perfectly reasonable and I, for one, am happy that Naruto has finally found some family members that will treat him and care for him as he had always deserved to be,'' the man started, surprising Tsubaki with his open sincerity. At the moment, the young witch was not above peeking into his mind to verify his claims. ''I've always considered Naruto as if he was my own grandson; I've loved him as much as Konohamaru, my grandson by blood. However, when one is the leader of a ninja village, such things as personal feelings and wishes have to take a back seat to what is the best for the village overall.''

Tsubaki wanted to protest vehemently at that. It was sounding suspiciously much like _the Greater Good_ for her own comfort and she had no compunction in letting the Hokage know what she thought about it.

This time he was the one to raise a hand and she allowed him to continue.

''With this, I'm not saying that I agree in any way with the manner things happened concerning Naruto. You must understand however that after the Kyuubi Attack, it was a difficult time to Konoha and I had to take over the Hokage's hat once more. There was much to be done, there were extensive casualties and property destruction and the village had to pass the image to the outside that it was still strong, despite the disaster that had just befallen upon us. During those trying times, the Civilian Council sized the chance to gather as much power as possible and they passed several laws that I had only knowledge of after it was too late,'' he explained tiredly, as if the mere mention of it was enough to give him a headache. ''One of these laws had been directly made with Naruto in mind. No one but a select few actually know that he's Minato's son – which I'll explain why soon,'' he quickly added when Tsubaki levelled him with a chilly glare at the reminder. ''However, the official story was that he was the son of a Chunnin couple who had died fighting the Kyuubi, with no other close relatives. In short, a law was passed stating that no child from Konoha's ninjas could be adopted by anyone who didn't share a close blood relation between them. Officially, the reasoning was that this way, no Clan children or promising orphaned prodigies could be adopted by other Clans, so no Clan – Shinobi or Civilian – would have political power over others thus avoiding unnecessary conflicts between said Clans. It was mentioned by passing that no Clan could lay claim to the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki as well and thus preventing great clashes among the Shinobi Clans as well.''

Tsubaki snorted derisively at that. ''I very much doubt it that was their only concern. Considering how Naruto has been treated all his life, I would wager that their main goal was just to make his life miserable and be forced to grow up alone.''

''Yes, you're right,'' the Sandaime mournfully without hesitation.

Tsubaki was glad to know that the man was not blind to the faults of his peoples and didn't jump to make excuses for their callous actions unlike Dumbledore that was all about the concept that the Light Side was all good and right and offering second chances to the enemy when it was beyond clear that was useless and pointlessly sacrificing his own people in the process.

Then another thought entered her mind suddenly, making her almost cackling vindictively, the grim subject matter the only thing holding her back.

If, by law, no one could adopt a shinobi's child without a close blood relation, then that meant that Sasuke, Itachi's little brother, hadn't been adopted by anyone either. Evidently, she wasn't rejoicing about the fact that the boy was alone, no; she was almost in hysterics inside her mind because she was aware how the people in Konoha, specially the Civilian, viewed the Uchiha, almost as if they were royalty. As the last of his Clan, Sasuke was sure to be seen as their precious last reminder of such great Clan and thus wield much political power and, unlike in Naruto's case, Tsubaki would bet her entire fortune that there had been no lack of applicants to adopt Sasuke, with dreams of money and prestige already in their black little hearts, only to be crushed and told that such thing was against the law. A law that been passed by themselves in a cold-hearted effort at making the container of the Nine-Tails as miserable as they could without getting their hands dirty.

 _Oh, this is irony at its best. Talk about a splendidly back-fired plan. Merlin, I would have liked to see their pole-axed faces when they realized that they had bungled themselves up so nicely._

Anyway, now Tsubaki had another answer that she had planned to find out later. Itachi's little brother was all alone without a legal guardian; however she wouldn't be able to adopt him through the usual means neither. It was something that she had to think about later.

''Thus, Naruto was unable to be adopted by anyone in the village all these years until you arrived,'' the man said more gladly than the last minutes, completely unaware of the woman's train of thoughts.

''Oh, yes, I'll intend to do it as soon as possible, Hokage-sama,'' Tsubaki was ready to claim. ''In fact, when can I start the paperwork? By Konoha's own laws, I am eligible to adopt Naruto, and as far as I am concerned no one can do much against it legally.''

''Ah, yes, I am sure that the adoption will be done without problems, however there something else that needs to be discussed beforehand.''

''The reason why no one is aware that Naruto is the son of the Yondaime Hokage?'' she guessed without pause. It was something that she wanted to know, but she had waited for the Hokage to bring it up after her furious demands when she first entered the office, when she saw that he was willing enough to answer her questions.

''Precisely.''


	12. Chapter 11 - The Road to Hell

Hello! Long time no see!

I'm so sorry for my long absence, but between too much work, my bouts of procrastination (I should change my name to _The Queen of Procrastination_ , and be done with it), and my muse taking off for a long holiday, I was hard pressed to write something worth-while.

Still, I finally managed something. I'm really not sure if I like it or not, I tried not to think much about it, lest I erase the whole damn thing in frustration (it wouldn't be the first time, believe me).

Anyway, thank you very much for all your support and I hope you'll be happy to see a new chapter, even though it's shorter than average.

 **HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!**

* * *

 _''There is a road to Hell that's paved with good intentions but it's a long route. The quicker path is paved with the kind of ignorance that clever men who just don't want to know are best at.''_

– Mark Lawrence

* * *

CHAPTER 11 – The Road to Hell

''When Minato sealed the Nine-Tails in Naruto, his last wish had been that the people considered his son a hero, someone who's living sacrifice kept the fox at bay from turning against the village and finish what it had previously started. Alas, the sealing arts are much misinterpreted, especially by civilians, and most people simply couldn't understand that Naruto was the Kyuubi's container and not the fox itself,'' the Hokage explained grimly with a far-away look.

''I'd never thought that my brother would be such a naïve man,'' Tsubaki commented cynically. Humans were the same, regardless of the world they lived in. One of the many invariable lessons she had learned in her life was that people easily hated what they didn't understand and more often than not would care less that their actions were wrong as long as their long-standing beliefs could be spared from the harsh realities of the world around them.

''Minato had always been an optimistic, which is rather unusual in a ninja and even rarer when one is Hokage,'' the old man smiled sadly as he said that. ''Being an orphan from such a young age, he had come to love Konoha dearly and in a way, he viewed all the villagers as his family. And, thus, in his overly trusting and misguided mind, just like one's blood family, he had hoped that Konoha's inhabitants would accept his son unconditionally among them, despite the heavy burden Naruto was chosen to carry through his life.''

Tsubaki restrained the urge of groaning out loud as she heard how her 'brother' was such a simple-minded fool when it came to the people he had been appointed to protect and lead. Merlin, it sure was a wonder that such a powerful and intimidating ninja could have such a gullible mind and credulous view of his people, after everything he had done in his career as a shinobi.

''That's why when Minato had decided to make the ultimate sacrifice for this village, the fact that Naruto would carry the monster that had killed the Yondaime after the numerous other victims, it wasn't made a secret. Everyone who was there at the time was aware of what was really happening and naturally this information spread like wild fire very quickly. Eventually, I made a law that forbid anyone from ever speaking of Naruto's burden – which is why the children don't know about it, as they were made to believe that the Kyuubi had been killed by Minato before he died –, however the damage was already done and the villagers, not really understanding how such a powerful and dangerous being could ever be safely imprisoned inside the body of a baby, always believed that Naruto was indeed the fox itself in human form.''

Tsubaki wasn't happy with what the old man was saying, albeit she understood very well that it was realistic. The Sandaime had tried his best after the damage was done, even if that law was actually useless if one was cunning and intelligent enough to read between the lines and be able to connect the actual facts by themselves without worry of ever breaking it. Calling a little kid names like 'demon', 'murderer' and the overall hostile attitude towards Naruto, wasn't really that subtle and one only needed to do the math to fully understand what someone was insinuating.

''Anyway, seeing that Naruto had already such a very burden to carry thorough his whole life, I decided that it was for the best that until he was fifteen or made Chunnin – whichever happens first – the fact that Minato was his father would be kept secret,'' the Hokage explained in a grave tone, intermittently puffing away at his pipe; his gaze unfocused. ''You see, Minato had married with Naruto's mother in secret the previous year. No one, aside for a selected few, was aware of this due to safety reasons.''

''Who was she and what happened to her?'', Tsubaki asked. Death hadn't told her anything about her 'sister-in-law', beyond the fact that she was dead as well.

A small smile appeared in the old wrinkled face, as the man seemed to be recalling something from the past.

''Uzumaki Kushina was her name, although she mostly known as the infamous Red Hot-Blooded Hanabero, due to her role and actions in the last Ninja War. In fact, you, Tsubaki-san, remind me strongly of her. It must be the Uzumaki genes,'' the Hokage seemed to speak this last sentence almost to himself.

This didn't surprise Tsubaki much. Death had changed her features to resemble Minato and the Uzumaki Clan as much as possible, after all. Not that It had to do much regarding the Uzumaki's infamous character, honestly. She had always had a fierce temper and personality as it was usually befitting of a true red-haired woman. Indeed, most red-haired women she had known were that way – Lily Potter, Ginny and Molly Weasley, to name a few – were witches that took no bulshit from people and the men in their lives cowered in the face of their fiery disposition.

The Sandaime cleared his throat as he seemed to emerge from his memories before continuing.

''After the war, the both of them were basically considered 'Enemy Number One' mostly by Iwa, having had killed many of their numbers in the front lines with seemingly no great effort. Since then, any time they were sighted by them, Iwa was quick to start a fight without any kind of provocation; they simply hated Minato and Kushina too much to restrain themselves, almost to the point of irrationality. Can you imagine what they would do if they ever dreamed that their most hated enemies had gotten together and produced an offspring?''

Tsubaki easily recalled the Iwa ninjas who had attacked her on her way to Konoha. Their loathing of the Namikaze name was plain to see, not that they had ever made secret of their feelings on the matter beforehand. After all, she had been warned when she had still been at the Daimyo's palace about them. If you then added the infamous Red Hot-Blooded Habanero to the equation, it was an absolute disaster just waiting to happen. She wouldn't be surprised if Iwa would somehow get their hands on Naruto in a blink of an eye. After all, Konoha's security was not infallible, far from it actually, if the attempted kidnapping of the Hyuuga Heiress six years ago by Kumo, from which resulted the death of the Clan Head's twin brother to avoid war was any indication.

The Mistress of Death fought a cold shudder at the unwelcome conjured mental images of her small nephew in the hands of those monsters. Now, she could understand the old leader's reasoning to hide Naruto's parents' identity. However, that didn't mean that she had to like it, far from it.

''Thankfully, any and all information deemed sensitive and dangerous on past and present Hokages is automatically considered a SS-class secret and a matter of the village highest security,'' the Sandaime explained, his eyes looking directly at her, and thus Tsubaki could easily see the truth in his mind. ''By this, I mean that, except major reasoning, only myself and a handful of very high-ranked ninjas – if the situation requires it – are aware of the information. In Naruto's true relations' case, Hakate Kakashi and the ANBU present at the time of birth are the only exceptions.''

''Who are the high-ranked ninjas aware of my brother's having a son?'', the witch asked, as her mind processed everything the old man was telling her.

''Aside from the people I mentioned already, there is Nara Shikaku, the Jonin Commander and the Nara Clan Head, who was Minato's best friend. The only other person who knew was Uchiha Mikoto, Kushina's best friend, however she was killed last year in the Uchiha Massacre,'' Sarutobi admitted, never showing any outward sign of his thoughts on the mission-issued assassination of a whole Ninja Clan when speaking of the wife of said Clan Head.

Inside the man's mind, however, was another story altogether.

Tsubaki hadn't expected to get an opportunity any time soon of peeking in the Hokage's true feelings of the night that had been the most difficult and painful in Itachi's whole life. Granted, she could have made some subtle comments about it – she had had a Uchiha as a boyfriend in the past and a son with him, after all – but she wasn't sure how well that would have gone, as the happenings were still a little fresh in people's minds and thus it was considered a very sensitive topic. Also, she didn't want to appear to be fishing for information about that night without a very good reason, lest some people suspected that she knew more about it than she let on, for now. She was aware that hadn't been the Hokage himself who had ordered the 'execution' – no, that honour fell completely on Shimura Danzo (someone she needed to investigate very discreetly, he was a very dangerous man) – but he hadn't done anything to change the outcome either, so in Tsubaki's mind, Sarutobi was as guilty of Itachi's followed orders as Danzo was.

Anyway, the old man seemed genuinely saddened about the way things had ended to the Uchiha Clan, despite many others' opinions about them, he had actually respected the Clan and for a while he had held hope that their shaky relationship could have been solved in a more pacific and bloodless manner, but all his hopes were for naught. The man knew there some things that didn't add completely that night and the days before as well, he knew that Danzo had something to do with it, but as the other man was his long-time friend and the situation had been fixed any way, he chose to let the matter rest as it, in his opinion, would not change the outcome.

Tsubaki was slightly disturbed that the Hokage trusted Danzo so much, despite knowing that there was something fishy going on. It appeared that Sarutobi was not so objective and impartial when it concerned the people he cared about, after all. She had never met the old war-hawk, but she would bet her whole fortune that Danzo was someone who played by the rules that favoured him best, regardless of what the Hokage's – and thus the village – laws actually were.

Anyway, it was something that Tsubaki needed to look more deeply in to, when she was more settled in Konoha and not as many people were following her every move.

''Due to the dangerous position in which Naruto finds himself, I ordered everyone aware of his true paternity to maintain distance from him,'' the Hokage went on with a sigh, totally oblivious to Tsubaki's thoughts. ''So, please do not be overly harsh with Kakashi or anyone else for abandoning Naruto; they were simply following my orders, after all.''

Tsubaki could not believe what she was hearing. Was the old man being serious?

''Why?''

''You said it yourself, Tsubaki-san. Naruto is almost a perfect copy of Minato, I didn't want to give people more clues about his true origins. Being in the care of someone closely associated to the Yondaime, it would only aide them in realizing the truth more quickly and thus put Naruto in danger of outside forces.''

''So, you'd rather that Naruto feels ostracized, alone and abused in his own village as long as Konoha's enemies continue to be unaware of Minato's legacy?,'' she asked harshly, her eyes flashing in warning, not wanting to comprehend the measures this man would go through to protect his own village from anyone who wished them ill, the suffering of a child not mattering much in the greater scheme of things. ''How is that even possible when Naruto looks like his father and carries the name Uzumaki? If anything, those should be strong enough signs to clue in anyone who bothers to look close enough.''

''Those can explained easily enough to most people,'' the Hokage said in an attempt at reassuring her but she was beyond that. Tsubaki was starting to realize that the man, despite believing that what he was doing was the right thing, was delusional if he thought that she was calmed by his assurances of his past actions when it came to protect her nephew. His principal goal would always be to protect his people as a whole and Tsubaki couldn't care less about the villagers at the moment, not after what she witnessed the previous day. ''There might have been a couple of rumours after the Kyuubi Attack that put some those suspicions to rest even before they had had opportunity of taking form. One was that Naruto had received the Uzumaki name due to Kushina being the former Jinchuuriki, just as Uzumaki Mito had been before her. Allegedly, there was no connection between both; it only had been done in a display of continuity, if you will. The other mentioned that, due to Naruto being the Kyuubi's jailor, he had inherited some physical traits from it – the whiskers marks on his cheeks and the similar appearance to the Yondaime in a show of spite against the one who had contained it once more.''

Tsubaki closed her eyes and fought for self-control. It would not do to attack the Hokage at the moment, no matter how much she wanted to.

The first rumour she could agree with wholeheartedly, it had been a very wise move and completely believable; the second one, however, not so much. Really, what had the man been thinking? The villagers would already be hostile towards Naruto and what was inside of him, due to their grief and anger for what had happened to them. They had to make it appear as if the fox was taunting them by saying that it was taking the form of their beloved Yondaime Hokage? The same man who had promptly died to save his village for certain and absolute destruction? She still didn't condone or would ever forgive these people for their behaviour towards Naruto, however she could understand a little better now from where they came from.

It was like taking a random kid from the Wizarding World, locking the Dark Lord inside, or a Horcrux of him rather, informing everyone of it in the same breath, and make it take the form of her godfather Sirius Black as a little kid, for example, simply to taunt her feelings for one of the last living connections to her parents she had ever known and then expect that the kid's mere presence would not have any kind of consequence to her psyche. Not that she would ever abuse the kid, regardless of what was contained inside his small body, she believed that she would better than that, but still. Anyone with a weaker will would fall prey to that emotion without much struggle.

The effort she had to make to not call the Hokage an idiot to his face was herculean, really. For someone so wise and experienced with life, he still had his moments of sheer foolishness like any other simple mortal. However, the worst part was that the old man didn't seem to understand that his well-intended actions only served to ostracize Naruto even more.

In this instance, Tsubaki reckoned that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Albus Dumbledore were very alike.

 _'The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions and well-meaning lies,' indeed_.

''And no one ever suspected any different?'', the witch asked instead of saying something rather rude. There was no use in berating the man, what was done was done, there was taking it back. That didn't mean however that she would forget about it or ever agree that it was a good thing.

''No, as far as I am aware, there was never anyone who suspected otherwise,'' the Hokage was quick to guarantee her, ignorant of the woman's train of thought, which frankly it was for the better, really.

''Concerning Naruto's adoption,'' she decided to move on to more pressing matters at the moment, lest she explode due to sheer frustration, ''seeing that the Council interfered in the past, it's safe to say that they will have to be aware of it for the paperwork to go through, even though they are absolutely impotent against it.''

''Yes, I will have to set a meeting for the whole Council to be present,'' Sarutobi concurred thoughtfully, as he reached for his brush and a blank sheet of official-looking rice paper. ''We will have to explain the situation to them, however I plan on making Naruto's origins an S-classed secret instead. They will know the truth but, by law, they will be forbidden of ever speaking about it to anyone unaware of it.''

Tsubaki lost herself in thought for a while, trying to decide how she should proceed from there as the man started to write an official summons for a Council Meeting. Hokage's law was well and good, however with underhanded and cunning, old seasoned ninjas in the equation, she wasn't sure how much that was worth. In her point of view, one would only be punished if they were caught, and only a pathetic and thoughtless ninja would be. Tsubaki wasn't trusting any of them to follow the Hokage's orders like good little soldiers when many of them surely didn't share any love for Naruto and perhaps for Tsubaki now as well, after she had blew them off when she had been summoned by the Civilian Council yesterday.

She didn't put it past them to concoct some hare-brained plan to hurt Naruto in some way, after they discovered that he was the son of two world-infamous shinobi. One never knew what someone would do in an attempt at power, prestige, retaliation or something else altogether.

No, what she needed was something infallible; she would not trust these people with the future of her family when they never showed that they cared before. Luckily, she had magic on her side. She was aware that it was not the cure of all problems, but no magical being could ever argue against the fact that magic could and would make life much easier and wonderful for one who wielded it.

Thankfully, she had studied for a while how magical contracts worked, before she had been visited by Death. (Speaking of which, It had been quite silent since she had arrived at Konoha. She wasn't worried about it, though, she knew that the Entity would make Itself heard if It had something of import to share with her, she called for It or if someone was about to die. For now, none of these conditions applied so there was no reason for It to be there at the back of her mind.) The reason behind it had been her curiosity about the contract she had to follow through in her fourth year – even after all these years, she had been stumped at how she had been forced to enter in a Tournament that she had never an intention in participate in and by an outside person to boot. She had discovered that that Contract was not like the usual ones made regularly by business companies, the Ministry, or others organizations. It was an archaic and twisted version of the current modern marriage contracts, surprisingly enough. The goals of the Tournament contract were completely different from an ancient betrothed one, but the punishments for breaking the clauses were about the same, unavoidable and deadly.

Fortunately, those kinds of marriage contracts were rare in the present Wizarding World and only an Old Pureblood family would ever enact such a thing – Tsubaki would wager that the Malfoys would be one of them.

Anyway, this gave the idea Tsubaki needed to put forth her plan in how she would reveal to the Council her true relation to Naruto and make sure that they would keep quiet about it, at the same time she could insure that no one would try something untoward her family in the process, under pain of death, literally. Now she only had to convince the Hokage of the essentiality of having such contract in place. And if someone was careless or foolish enough to try anything and have an unsavoury fate because of it, well, they couldn't say that they hadn't been warned. Not that she would put much effort in explaining what exactly would be the consequences.

The Mistress of Death ruthlessly supressed an evil smirk worthy of a Slytherin at that thought. It would not do to tip off the Hokage or the hidden ANBU that she preparing something that was better left unsaid.


	13. Chapter 12 - Lost in thought

Hello, everyone! Sorry for taking so long, but I've been dealing with a severe case of writer's block. They're no fun, I tell you!

I tried to post this chapter yesterday, but for some reason, the site was not working. I'm currently cross-posting this story at AO3, so if anyone prefers that site, you can read it there.

Anyway, this chapter is smaller than the average for this story, but it's better than nothing, right? I wrote it all in one sitting and I think I spent all my inspiration for the moment. Let's just hope that I won't take as long to update again.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited, and added this story to their communities, you all made my day.

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''The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.'' - Paul Fix

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Chapter 12 – Lost in thougt

After Tsubaki thought some more about it (freezing for a moment, when she felt the house's wards being trespassed by a shinobi, ready to leave if she decided it was necessary. When she discovered that it was only Maito Gai, she relaxed), she finally decided how she would firmly convince the Hokage that her way of making absolutely sure the bombastic information would not be spread afterwards was the best one. Well, they could try and perhaps somehow succeed, but the young witch highly doubted they would put more weight in going against Hokage's express orders to further whatever evil plans they had more than their own lives. Because anyone who would attempt such a thing would automatically die a rather painful death – Tsubaki would be sure of it when devising the magical contract. It would be in everyone's best interest to read their own copies afterwards, if they were smart enough, that is, so there wouldn't be any nasty surprises, not that Tsubaki really cared much about the Council's future.

Anyway, the solution was a simple one, if only ostensibly though.

Tsubaki, being the Head of a Ninja Clan, had both the right and duty of ensuring that Clan Secrets were kept such at all times. However, there could be times when that kind of information had to be shared with the other Heads and the Hokage due to one reason or other. When that happened, the Clan Head in question could choose the way how that information was shared and the method of ensuring that word of it wouldn't get out. The Hokage was powerless against that event and following actions, as it was firmly written in Konoha's Clan Bylaws.

The young woman quickly explained to the Sandaime how she planned on informing the Council about Naruto's origins – naturally she had replaced the words 'magical contract' with 'sealing construct' but the overall meaning and objectives of such device were the same –, giving him a general view of what he could expect to happen if anyone put a toe out of the line. She could clearly see that the old man was not much enthused on the idea of having Council Members dead due to this issue. The political headaches that would surely follow if that really happened would be painful for the Hokage – not that Tsubaki was feeling much sympathy over him at the moment.

''Forgive me for being so blunt, Hokage-sama, but it seems, at least to me, that your people take both your counsel and orders rather lightly,'' she countered when the old man had tried to point out that her method was rather ruthless and unnecessary. That hadn't been his exact words, but the meaning was the same. Tsubaki was having none of it, though. ''Despite the fact Naruto being the holder of the Kyuubi is a S-Class Secret, everyone and their mother know about it. This village doesn't seem to believe in keeping secrets, if the way they talk about it in broad daylight without a care in the world about who could overhear them is any indication. Any outsider with half a brain can quickly gather the clues together about what the civilians are trying to say without really saying it. Loopholes are quite a beautiful thing, don't you think so, Hokage-sama?'', she asked rhetorically in an airy tone. ''They still ostensibly follow your orders, but at the same time they are able to convey their feelings on the matter and inform everyone who listens what supposedly should be one of the most guarded secrets of a Ninja Village. My only surprise is that Naruto hasn't still cottoned on it yet. Then again, perhaps he tries not to think much on the possible reason that he's hated by most of his village since the day he's born.''

The Hokage almost completely suppressed a flinch at that last comment hit home, but Tsubaki's keen eyes caught it all the same.

 _Good, he should feel guilty about it,_ she thought a little viciously, _he shares a good deal of blame on all of this, after all. If he hadn't allowed his people to do as they please, and instead took the matter more seriously unlike the half-baked stance he's taken all these years, maybe now the situation would be more bearable._

The Mistress of Death didn't want to leave misunderstandings between her and the old Hokage. She might have not said so out loud, but she very much disagreed with the way Sarutobi had dealt with Naruto's life since the day boy had been born. She didn't condone the majority of the man's decisions where her nephew was involved and she made sure to make it clear to him without need to spell it out loud what she really thought of him and his village at the moment. Due to his advanced age and the place of power he had, Tsubaki was certain that the Sandaime understood perfectly her standpoint. After all, a good shinobi learned very quickly to decipher half-spoken sentences and vague meanings, among many other things.

''So you see, Hokage-sama,'' Tsubaki continued candidly, outwardly ignoring the painfully emotional jab that she had just shot at the leader of Konoha, ''my faith on your people, especially your Council, is slim to none. I won't have the future of my family in jeopardy just because you guilelessly trust in your people to follow your orders, when they already showed that they can't be completely trusted to guard a secret if their village's future depends on it. Well then, if instead it's their very own lives that hang on the equation, perhaps they will be smart about it and keep their mouth completely shut for once.''

After that rather blunt and unmoved statement, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't really find the words to convince Tsubaki to change her mind. She knew that the man, deep down, agreed with her, but as the Hokage, it was his duty to defend his people, even if at times was from themselves.

Tsubaki promised the Sandaime she would show him the drafted document of the 'sealing construct' to be used in the Council Meeting the next morning during their previously appointed meeting between both of them.

Before parting ways, the young witch asked about the spy she had captured. The Hokage, naturally, tried to point out that the matter was not something that concerned her, but Tsubaki ruthlessly shot him down, mentioning that the stranger had been following her, thus making it her concern. As Head Clan, she had the right to be informed of it, as it concerned the security of her person and her Clan as a whole.

The old man finally relented and after sighing he explained.

''The people at the I&T Department are trying their best, but until this moment have proven unsuccessful. The man appears to have a secrecy seal on his tongue that prevents him from speaking even if he wanted to.''

''A seal, you say?'', she asked, sounding intrigued. Inwardly, she had already suspected something similar. When she had caught the man, she had failed at reading even his superficial thoughts with light Legillimency. Granted, if she had really tried and dived deeper, Tsubaki doubted that she couldn't get in the spy's mind; however the man was sure to notice and she didn't want to make it know, at least for now, that she was able to read minds at will. ''If your people are having difficulty at dismantle that, I could only always lend a helping hand. After all, being an Uzumaki, sealing is in my blood.''

After the Hokage promised that he would take her offer into consideration, Tsubaki finally left the office. Her mood had much improved, she decided, though the assorted ninja that passed her by on her way out of the Tower still gave her a wide berth.

The smirk that promised pain and death she was sporting could be the reason, not that Namikaze Tsubaki really cared, her mind already busy trying to decide which was the best way to off the bastards who would dare to hurt her nephew and how she could make it written in the contract appearing less gruesome and excruciating than it would be in reality.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Namikaze's residence, Uzumaki Naruto was having the time of his life. He couldn't remember a time when he felt as happy as he was feeling now. Whenever the Hokage or Iruka went with him for ramen came close, but it wasn't the same at all.

For the first time in his life, Naruto felt hope swelling his heart. Sometimes he still believed that he was dreaming in his small and old bed in his crampy apartment and he didn't know if he really wanted to wake up if that was what it actually was.

Naruto still marvelled at the thought that he had an aunt and a cousin. And they weren't average people either, no sir.

His aunt, Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki, was the younger sister of the Yondaime Hokage, his idol. Imagine that! From what he had understood from the conversation during the previous dinner, despite not being trained as a kunoichi, she still was very strong and was able to easily beat up the bad guys who had wanted to kill or kidnap her and Ichigo – how cool was that? Even though he hadn't really understood what Tsubaki had done when that nasty woman had slapped him when he only had wanted to return the teddy her daughter had left behind in the sandbox, Naruto had been able to feel the heavy power in the air, but strangely enough, he had only felt warm and protected by it, unlike all the other people there, except his cousin.

Additionally, Tsubaki had apparently very cool summons that could do a range of different things. Mamoru was one of them, and Naruto was quick to admit that he loved it. Just imagine what a dog that huge could do in a fight? Kiba's Akamaru had nothing on it, believe it! But the best of it, though, was that Mamoru was very fun to play with and didn't mind that he and Ichigo rode on its back shrieking in delight as it ran fast around the back garden.

Despite what many people seemed to think, Naruto was not a complete idiot and he had quickly realized that his small cousin, Uchiha-Namikaze Ichigo, was a genius. A normal four-years-old didn't usually behave and talk so maturely. He was even more mature and responsible than Naruto, who was five years his senior. Thankfully, he was very different from the Uchiha genius of his class. The kid was very playful and didn't even try to hide his emotions or feelings. Ichigo's quick smile and affectious and kind nature won him Naruto's heart in a matter of seconds and the only flaw that the blond haired boy could find about him was that the young Uchiha didn't know what ramen was.

 _Oh, what sacrilege!_

Needless to say, when he had found out, after recovering from his horror induced shock, Naruto hadn't lost a second before he started to explain in a very detailed manner what Ramen was all about – _it's the food of Gods, believe it!_ He was sure the kid would find the light soon enough, he was part Uzumaki after all.

Ichigo was just promising Naruto that he would talk his mother into taking both of them to ramen, as soon as she returned from her visit to the Hokage, when they heard the doorbell sound from inside the house.

That weird shinobi, who had been reading an orange book on a branch of a tree not far from both kids and dog – the same book he had caught Hokage-jiji sneakily reading when he had gone to visit him once, which he had found out to his disgust, was a pervert's book – jumped from his perch and quickly went inside.

Sharing a silent look between them, Naruto and Ichigo seemed to be on the same page and decided to go investigate who had come to visit. After all, the Namikaze duo had only arrived two days ago, and Naruto doubted that they met many people since then. Tsubaki didn't seem particularly happy with the civilians for whatever reason, if Naruto had understood right. And even he had noticed very early in life that ninja had a long standing habit of just showing up unannounced; they didn't seem to believe in doors or many of society's niceties, like ringing door bells or knocking, when one's comrades was on the other side – even the Hokage was often victim to such situations, Naruto had witnessed that happen more than a handful of times in the old man's office.

 _'Why use a door when there's a perfectly good window right there?'_ had been the nonchalant response, or a variant thereof, delivered by the assorted ninja that entered their leader's office through the huge window overseeing the village when the Hokage complained that they should use the door like a sensible person.

What both kids saw when they were close enough was a man cladded in a green spandex jumpsuit.

Naruto had never talked to this particular shinobi, but he knew that, even by ninja standards, this one was more eccentric than his comrades and was seen often around the village doing strange things like walking on his hands and spouting about 'Youth' and accomplishing impossible feats that even not the most daring ninja would follow through. Despite all this, Naruto liked the odd man. It gave him hope that, just because he was different and most people didn't seem to give him much importance, that didn't mean that he couldn't become a great shinobi in his own right, despite what anyone said about him. Though, his choice of wear was something that not even Naruto could get past. That jumpsuit was simply awful.

* * *

''Kakashi, my rival!,'' was the exuberant greeting the Copy ninja received as soon as he opened the door.

After making sure that it was only Gai at the door, Kakashi retrieved his beloved _Icha Icha_ , sure there was no eminent danger, if one excluded Gai's own type of Genjutsu, which sometimes appeared out of nowhere – not even his Sharingan could break through. That thing was dangerous, it could mentally scar one for life like nothing else he had ever seen, he was certain of it. After once being almost caught on it, he had done his level best to never again look on his 'rival's direction, lest he be sucked on that madness for evermore. The only exception was when they sparring or on in real life fights, though then usually Gai was too busy to unleash such a nasty imagery upon him or anyone else, thankfully.

Perhaps, he should appeal the Hokage to deem it a Kinjustu. It was lethal enough, no doubt, if only for one's sanity. That was an idea for later, though. Even only thinking about it, gave Kakashi the chills. He ruthlessly supressed a shudder before it could rake through his body.

''Did you need something?'', he asked instead, his tone bored and uninterested for all to see.

Inwardly, he was glad that Tsubaki-san had explained how the house's protections worked and that Gai had followed the information that he had given the Hokage the previous day. Any attempt to enter the house except through the front door, and respectfully at that, would give anyone a very nasty surprise at the least, as he could certainly attest for.

And hadn't that been a shock? Tsubaki had said nothing about it, but Kakashi was sure that if he had continued to test the house's defences the previous morning, he'd most likely be rendered permanently incapacitated, or worse, killed. That was a sobering thought, he mused. Despite the young woman's appearance and lack of official ninja training, she was as lethal as a Jonin.

Her temper was another thing that was dangerous.

Whatever it was she did when Tsubaki confronted that civilian woman who had slapped Naruto (he supressed a growl at that thought. What rights did that insignificant woman have to hurt the son of his sensei?), Kakashi had never felt something like it. It was somewhat similar to Killing Intent but different at the same time. The first attacked mainly one's mind and the latter struck directly at one's emotions, he concluded.

When feeling strong KI, one would feel like they were about to die, unquestionably and excruciatingly, and Tsubaki also had a very intense one, the copy ninja recalled, the likes of which only S-Ranked Shinobi and Kages were usually capable of, Kakashi included. However, that strange power made them all – except the children, he had been happy to notice, amidst all that – feel like they would never be able to feel happy again, not even a modicum of contentment would ever reach them again in their lives. It was grief, regret, pain, sadness, and everything nasty and depressing all jumbled together that made it like there was a gaping black hole in their hearts.

It reminded Kakashi painfully of those dark years after Obito and Rin's deaths and later Sensei's ultimate sacrifice as well. For so long he had thrown himself on ANBU missions in the hopes that he could reach some kind of absolution for his past failures and if he ended dead, so be it, he hadn't really cared much at that point. Thankfully and eventually, he had recovered somewhat and was able to live with a modicum of contentment in his life, but all had come crashing down when he had felt Tsubaki's strange and staggering power over him. He had never been so thankful for his perfect poker face than in that moment.

Kakashi knew which of the two looming powers would be most effective against him in a real confrontation and he could only hope that he would never be in a position that Tsubaki would use that power directly against him. He wasn't sure if he could remain standing for long if that happened. He'd rather die by his own hand than endure it for a long period of time.

Add in the fact that the woman seemed to somehow know that Kakashi had been close to her brother in the past and had been absent from her nephew's life, regardless of his intentions on the matter, and the infamous _Sharingan no Kakashi_ wasn't sure what she eventually would say or do to him. It was clear as day that she was far from happy about what she was finding out about Naruto's life growing up, if her glares and meaningfully silent were any indications.

''I came to visit Tsubaki-san,'' Gai's loud and eager words pulled Kakashi from his dark musings, ''she said that she wanted to restart her physical training and I decided to come and offer my help. After all, such youthfulness must be preserved and rewarded.''

''Tsubaki-san went to visit the Hokage,'' he simply replied, ignoring the other man's flowery words as usual.

The green-clad shinobi face's dramatically fell in disappointment at hearing that his prospective student (Kakashi almost shuddered at that particular thought) was absent, before the full meaning of that sentence sunk in.

''You let her go alone?'', Gai asked, uncharacteristically serious, eyeing his 'rival' in surprise. ''I thought you being here was for Tsubaki-san's protection.''

He didn't say it out loud, but Kakashi could hear it all the same. _How the hell are you protecting her if she left the house alone and you're still here?_

''I'd like to see you try and prevent her,'' Kakashi muttered unusually sullen (he was not pouting, damnit!).

Gai raised his eyebrows in astonishment at that low and surly comment but clearly decided to not remark on it, for which Kakashi was grateful.

Thankfully, the two kids he was _supposedly_ babysitting stepped into the entry hall at that moment and caught Gai's attention. Wisely, at least in his humble opinion, Kakashi tuned out the trio's conversation and following gushing and eager interest as the black-haired man promised to show the boys something (as mentioned, Kakashi wasn't paying attention, but he surmised that was something training related; he only hoped that Gai didn't hurt the kids too much, Tsubaki was sure to take exception to that and he would most likely be on the receiving end of her displeasure), deciding to return to his comfy branch outside. He was eager to go back to Yuki and Shotaro's steaming fight.


	14. Chapter 13 - Smirks and Tears

Hey there, another chapter for you. It seems my muse is cooperating for a change.

This chapter is most filler but it needed to be written, though I'm still not sure if I like it or not. Anyway, tell me what you think of it.

If anyone wants to offer ideas for the punishment in the Secrecy Contract, I'm open to them.

Also, anyone interested in making a fanart for this story? I would be eternally grateful.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourite'd, you're the best.

On with the show.

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 **Chapter 13 – Through wicked smirks and soothed tears**

''Behind every crazy bitch, there's a sweet girl who just got tired of all the bullshit.'' - Unknown

''Sometimes tears are a sign of unspoken happiness and a smile a sign of silent pain.'' - Unknown

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Thankfully to Kakashi's and Gai's continued good health, Naruto and Ichigo were not roughed up too much when Tsubaki arrived home. Sure, the kids were panting and exhausted but their beaming smiles showed that they were happy about their accomplishments with the physical tasks the Green Beast of Konoha had given them, which was good enough for the young woman.

A quick healing charm easily healed any stray bruise or scratch on both of them and Tsubaki took the chance to give a thorough check up on Naruto while she was at it, before sending the kids up to shower and change clothes. (Naruto had been given relatively new clothes to wear, which weren't eye-searing orange, that morning. They were, of course, some of Ichigo's transfigured clothes, but they did the job better than Naruto's actual jumpsuit. As soon as she had the time and opportunity, Tsubaki was buying the boy a whole new wardrobe in more sensible clothes. The time delay was because the shopping _would not_ be occurring in Konoha.)

The concerned woman was glad to find that, besides some signs of malnutrition, the blond boy was healthy. From what she had been able to uncover since she met her nephew, Tsubaki was sure that the Kyuubi had to, at least, work overtime in a few instances to correct some wrongs happening to Naruto's body. That was confirmed when the young witch asked about his inoculations and such and was told that, at least in the last few years, Naruto hadn't received any and he hadn't stepped a foot inside the hospital. This was due both to the boy's apparent fear of needles and medical facilities in general and the far from professional and concerned attitude of some of the hospital staff, neglecting to make sure that Naruto's shots were up to date as it was their duty.

Naturally, this information wasn't taken too well by the overprotective aunt and Kakashi and Gai – who was still at the house, waiting to offer his humble services as a coach to stoke Tsubaki's flames of youth – had to almost restrain her physically to prevent her from storming up to the hospital in a whirlwind of righteous fury and plain Uzumaki temper. The two Elite Shinobi didn't look forward to explain to their Hokage why the hospital had been damaged in any way if that had happened. The simple thought made them internally shudder in dread, both because of Tsubaki's brutal temper and the Sandaime's upset reaction to that kind of news, which somehow would be pointed out that was their fault from being unable to avoid the situation altogether.

Ichigo saved them all the likely future troubles by unleashing the full power of his 'puppy-eyes no jutsu' on his mother, pleading to go eat ramen at the stand Naruto had been boasting about of having the best ramen in the world (never mind that Naruto had only ever tasted Ichiraku's Ramen in all his life), wanting to know if what his cousin had told him was true. His precious onigiri as his favourite food demanded it of him to find out.

As was almost always the case, Tsubaki stood no chance against such an overpowering technique and yielded to her son's cuteness. Ichigo didn't lose time in celebrate his victory but was stopped from cheering further when she compromised that they would go there for dinner instead of lunch, as she had many things to do that afternoon and she didn't want to rush the kids to eat their meal to come back to the house.

The atmosphere calmed after that, and Tsubaki graciously accepted Gai's offer, though she made it clear that the Jounin had to go easy on her until she went back to her past training rhythm – which, obviously, was nowhere near the kind of training that a full-fledged ninja did, let alone Gai's idea of everyday exercise. Needless to say, 'easy' was a very subjective word on Gai's dictionary and the man had almost accomplished the rather impossible feat of killing young Tsubaki with his hellish training. Further training sessions with Gai would be put to consideration to a later date, the Mistress of Death firmly decided an hour and half later, as she dragged her own sweaty, sore and exhausted body upstairs to shower.

After a delicious lunch and animated conversation all around (well, except for Kakashi, but Tsubaki had already learnt that was his standard behaviour outside of shinobi matters), Gai left with his flowery 'youthful' greetings and the kids went back outside and enjoyed the afternoon sun while Tsubaki started to browse through the several folders she had acquired at the Konoha Real State Agency.

She had made a quick detour on the way back home that morning and was able to gather information on all the commercial places for sale around the village under a basic glamour to hide her features from everyone. Kakashi didn't ask where she got this and she didn't offer the answer either – what he didn't know, wouldn't hurt him and simultaneously save Tsubaki from another tirade about he being there for her protection and 'how could he protect her, when she went out on her own'? She had received a similar rant that morning when she said that she would go see the Hokage alone, before she had shot the ninja down without further argument from the man.

The reason why she was looking to buy a place for business was fairly straightforward.

By Konoha Clans' Bylaws, every Ninja Clan was bound by duty to contribute in some way to the betterment of the Shinobi Forces and/or the village as a whole.

For example, the Yamanaka Clan contributed by supplying most of the plants needed to produce poisons and their counters used by the Ninja Divisions, i.e. T&I, in their official collective duties (any ninja wanting to purchase any for personal use had to go through the usual channels and prices, obviously). Likewise, many of their own grown and harvested plants were used by the chemists in charge of preparing any and all medical ointments, pills and such for the hospital. That didn't mean that was cost-free, the people doing that job needed to be paid for their services, after all, however the price was significantly lower than other plants and flowers sold at the Yamanaka Flower Shop – the front business managed by the Clan Head and his immediate family since the foundation of the village.

That bit of information was general knowledge; however, the prices and anything else agreed upon were exclusively known by the Clan Head (and anyone within the clan he deemed trusted) and the Hokage. No one else, not even the Council had knowledge of it, to avoid any kind of disputes or protests of one Clan being more valued, have better deals, etc., than others. That information could not be forced to be shared with the other fellow Heads, for any reason; it was classified a Clan Matter, one of the highest rankest secrets incidentally, and even the mention of those deals in any perceived disparaging way by another was deemed beyond rude and not taken lightly by the injured party. There was only a recorded case of it ever happening, between the Hyuuga and Kurama Clans in fact, a bit after the founding of Konoha. The then Kurama Clan Head had made an unfortunate and poor comment about the Hyuuga's deal with the Hokage and the Hyuuga Clan Head had been quick to demand retribution for that. The situation had finally been solved by a match to the death between both men, of which the Hyuuga had been the victor. After that, all Clans stayed clearly away from that dangerous issue regardless of any grievance they had with another Clan.

Tsubaki planned to follow a similar route with the Uzumaki and Kurosawa Clans' contribution, by capitalizing on what each clan was best known for. In the Kurosawa's instance, she had already some proposals to present to the Hokage on their meeting the next morning, which included her offer of working at the Hospital for a certain fixed time every week and taking on medical cases of ninja that had been, up until now, unachievable to heal back to full health – growing back limbs or cases like Hayate's, for example – with her unparalleled healing powers. She highly doubted the old man would be a fool to refuse such a boon in a silver platter. They really only needed to negotiate the amount of time considered acceptable to fulfil the Kurosawa Clan's part of deal.

From the Uzumaki's side, Tsubaki would offer her knowledge of seals. Despite the fact that she, in fact, couldn't make a traditional chakra seal, no matter how much she tried (for obvious reasons), she was perfectly able to use runes and spells in a similar enough manner to disguise them as such, even though, visually they would be completely foreign. And, after all, if no one else knew how to break them or alter them in anyway, the objective was already achieved. In her humble opinion, those were even better.

As these tasks would be paid far below the standard price usually given, Tsubaki would need to have an official business to help bring in profit to be able to raise her son and her nephew and live comfortably even if only for the sake of appearances. (Not that she really needed it, though, with her insurmountable fortune, but she wanted to keep that fact hidden, for now at least, and she really needed to have something to occupy her days or she would soon turn insane with boredom as there was only so much one could do inside a ninja village before raising too much suspicions. She was aware that subtlety was not one of her fortes but she wanted to try at least. _It's the intention that counts, right?_ )

Thus, Tsubaki had decided to open a shop that would cater exclusively to ninja, which would sell a varied range of exclusive and never seen before seals (read: charms and ancient runes expertly disguised as seals) and various simple medicinal potions such as blood replenishment, general antidotes, salves and other diverse treatments for prompt and fast-acting use to be administered in the heat of a battle and/or on-going missions when there was lack of certified medical aide and with the bare knowledge of medicine required.

The prospective places were either too far away from the centre of the village (she wanted someplace near the Hokage Tower), or were too small for her tastes. As she couldn't just alter the insides (much) with magic (not wanting to raise much suspicion, remember?), she was severely short on choices. She needed a spacious front room to attending the costumers with as much as natural light as possible. She planned on having little displayed on that room, besides the more basic goods. There were simply some things that shouldn't be shown to young easily-impressed Genin, regardless of the fact they were considered adults by law – it was just trouble waiting to happen. These items would naturally need some security and only people over some age or ninja status would be allowed to purchase them.

Tsubaki internally shuddered at the thought of some cocky Genin using some of her more devastatingly explosive 'Seals' – like a version of _Bombarda Maxima_. It was more likely that they would level a village and kill themselves and their team altogether with their enemies.

No, she would be selling dangerous items that would more than likely kill others and she had come to terms with it, however, that didn't mean that she would be irresponsible and freely allow kids (no matter what other say) hurt themselves when they didn't know better.

Anyway, the necessity for a large and bright front room was due to ninja issues.

Tsubaki had noticed that no shinobi felt comfortable in small and poorly lit rooms, which all things considered was not surprising at all, and as she intended on cater only to them, she had to adapt if she wanted to have costumers, naturally. She was sure that once word broke out and the reputation and results of her wares spoke for themselves, she wouldn't lack costumers any way, however there were always those that put Moody's paranoia to shame.

Then, Tsubaki wanted to have at least four rooms in the back. The essentials would be a kitchenette/kitchen and a small restroom, of course. Then there would be a workroom where she could work undisturbed if necessary and the last would be the stockroom where everything for selling would be properly stored and secured.

Not that she would brew her potions there in the shop anyway, there was simply not enough privacy for it (she wasn't showing anyone anytime soon how she created her potions, some ingredients alone would be beyond inexplicable). Her brewing room would be the large and well-lit with natural light attic – no way in hell, she would brew any potion in a dark and chilly underground room if she could help it – she had discovered when touring the house. A quick flick of fingers and there were no more dust bunnies and spider webs and any unused things stored up there had been shrunk and stowed away. Another slight move and her brewing station and material and potion ingredients cupboard arranged themselves neatly at her liking.

Finally, after what felt like every build for sale she had brought home and she had read through, Tsubaki found the perfect one. It met all her perquisite requirements for the future shop and, even better, it was right on the main street, facing the Ninja Academy and the Hokage Tower. The reason that such a place was still vacant was apparently due to the exorbitant price stipulated compared to other shops of the same size or even bigger, which was not really a problem for Tsubaki. The building had two floors: the shop and a small apartment upstairs that previously had been used by the owners themselves. She would think later what she would do with the second floor as it wasn't important right now.

The young woman decided to go the Konoha Real State Agency the next morning before her meeting with the Hokage, which was at ten, so she had enough time. There was no way she would allow that such promising place slipped through her fingers now that she found it.

Next, she considered what kind of protections she would put up on her shop.

Unlike her home, the Uzumaki and Kurosawa Clan Head could not put deadly defences around her business, the only exception being on war's time, so many of the wards she had cast on this house were completely out. She would put up the same ones that stopped anyone from entering besides through the front door and making every other inch of the building nigh impossible to trespass or destroy by most hostile means, adding fire-proof and water-proof wards for good measure.

As it was a business, Tsubaki could not – supposedly, she added loosely, as she had knowledge that spoke otherwise, again there were double-standards at work – directly bar entry to anyone considered a prospective client without reason, so she had to go about it the Slytherin way. In other words, if _she or a shopkeeper_ could not forbid entry and refuse to sell her wares to a would-be client, then she had to make it as such that the undesirable people wouldn't enter the shop in the first place.

There was where the intent-based wards came in. The first layer would pick on the potential malicious intent, if there was one, against any member of her family – yes, she was including Naruto on this, she was looking forward to see how many narrow-minded and prejudiced ninja there were in the village. The second would stop their advancement towards the shop and the last would insert in their mind a suggestion of some random urgent chore they had to do. This kind of ward was heavily based on the Muggle Repelling ones, in fact, the only thing that technically differed were the malicious intentions in place of lack of magic.

Tsubaki was confident that that would stop most hostiles from her shop, though she could admit that this defence was not infallible. After all, someone ordered to attack her family, who didn't know them at all, could waltz in right through without any problem.

That's why she would put another defence inside the building that would detect any attempt at violence. To be on the safe side and to save future headaches, she planned on putting up a written warning on the front door explaining such, as accidents could happen and it was fairly impossible to avoid any kind of violence where ninja were concerned for one reason or other, even if they weren't trying to seriously attack someone else . This way, they couldn't claim ignorance when they were literally shocked and unceremoniously thrown out by the building wards. Tsubaki wouldn't take any risks where her family was concerned and if there was someone unhappy with it, well, though luck, she wouldn't change her mind.

There would be as well an identifying ward on the door between the front room and the rest of the shop, so only Tsubaki and her family and her shopkeeper could access the backrooms. Any attempts to forcibly step through by unauthorized people would not be pretty and pain-free for the intruder. Thinking over it a bit more, Tsubaki decided to put that ward over every door on the shop to be on the safe side, specially the storeroom, not even Ichigo and Naruto could enter there, though they would be able to go into all the others.

Finally, she had to decide what kind of punishment anyone attempting to sneak inside the building would get. Excluding the deadly ones, there were many that could be chosen. For the sake of consistency, she resolved on casting the Cruciatus downgraded ward, which could go indefinitely (if enough time passed, they could go insane, but they would still be alive, so Tsubaki wouldn't be breaking the law. Oh, how she loved loopholes), though she doubted that the intruder would remain inconspicuous for long, that curse tended to make their victims invariably scream, sooner or later, regardless that this one was a milder version. Though, before that, for fifteen seconds, there would be some mild shocking pulses to warn and ward off anyone who was only there because they were cocky children or because of a dare or something – Tsubaki had seen enough idiocy to be surprised if that happened, she had lived in the Gryffindor Tower for six years, after all. Stupidity didn't deserve death, no matter what some more harsh and cruel adults would say, though maybe the eye-opener would be good for them.

Anyway, the decisions were made and Tsubaki felt proud of her productive afternoon. She stood up and looked through the window outside, noticing the lack of childish laugher for the first time.

Ichigo and Naruto were lain down under the shade of a tree, sleeping and drooling away, using Mamoru as a pillow, the dog snoring obnoxiously. How the kids could sleep through all that noise was one of the mysteries of life. After smiling lovingly and melting at the fairly cute picture, behaving like the doting and passionate mother figure she was, Tsubaki was quick to summon her Muggle camera and click away a dozen of pictures to remember this peaceful moment by. _And for blackmailing purposes when the kids are older_ , she mentally added with a smirk.

She decided to work out on the draft for the Secrecy Contract while the peace remained. With every line she wrote, the Death's Mistress' smirk became more and more bloodthirsty and she fought down the urge to cackle away.

(Lounging on his soon-to-be usual tree branch, Kakashi abruptly stopped reading as an ominous feeling ran down his spine. His dark eye instinctively turned in the young witch's way and the sensation somehow increased to highly foreboding levels.

Doing what he did best, the Copy Ninja ruthlessly ignored it and returned to his book.

 _Whatever it is, I really don't want to know._ )

* * *

That day being a Sunday, Naruto informed his new-found aunt in his chipper tone, when they were walking to Ichiraku's Ramen, that he had to go home that night because he had school the next day and all his Academy supplies were at his apartment.

Tsubaki was instantaneously suspicious of the boy's excited behaviour. She had thought that she would have to convince him to go to the Academy came next morning. She had noticed that her nephew had practically glued himself to his cousin all day and she was expecting to have a hard time separating them both later. Additionally, the boy hadn't directly come out and said it, but she suspected that Naruto was a bit of a slacker when it came to school and she wouldn't be surprised if the boy skipped classes frequently. After all, there was no one at home or any adult figure, really, to force him to go when he didn't feel like it and if the treatment he received at the Academy was any similar to the one he got from the villagers in general, there surely wouldn't be much motivation anyway. Though, she had been happy to find out that there was at least a teacher who seemed to be kind to Naruto and tried to make the blond behave and learn, and treated him like any other student on the classroom.

''Oh?'', Tsubaki simply queried instead, before she added a little too innocently. ''Eager to go to school?''

Not innocently enough for her son, apparently, as Ichigo looked at his mum in curiosity but said nothing, as was usually his modus operandi. Whenever there was something going on that the boy didn't understand, he'd try to work it out first before he asked his questions on the issue. Moreover, Ichigo knew that tone, his mother had used it enough on him any time he was being an 'infuriating brat' and she wanted to make a point.

That tone, unsurprisingly, had been completely believed by the oblivious Naruto.

''Yeah, the other kids are always saying bad things about me, you know? But tomorrow I'll show them all that they're wrong,'' the kid explained, unaware that he was telling more than he knew.

Tsubaki forcefully retained her smile and light tone and shove away a few dark thoughts.

''And what's that they are saying?''

''That their parents are right and that I'm nuisance and only know how to make trouble. That's why everyone hates me and I'm all alone… and my parents didn't care about me at all so they... abandoned me.'' The boy's answer had started in an even tone but quickly derailed into an upset whisper. Naruto quickly turned his face away from her to hide his moist eyes.

 _Regardless of universe, children are really cruel everywhere,_ Tsubaki thought saddened; _though in this case the fault is mostly on their parents._

Not being able to stand such a sad expression on her usual sunny nephew, she snaked her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly against her body. After a slight flinch, which she stoically ignored, Naruto returned the loving gesture. Not to be outdone, Ichigo followed suite, as he somewhat understood what was happening to his cousin.

Throughout all this, Tsubaki happened to glance at Kakashi, who had been silently following the family of three, for once his faithful book not in sight. Hidden from the kids, she shot him a condemning glare that, despite being completely silent, somehow managed to transmit the many questions and accusations she had been harbouring since meeting her nephew and finding the lack of any kind of relationship between Naruto and Kakashi.

The silver-haired Jounin bowed his head after a moment and turned away from them, in admitted guilt, regret or something else entirely Tsubaki didn't know. What she did know was that the Elite Jounin was somewhat accepting his quota part of the blame and that was enough to her at the moment.

Naruto's suffering and loneliness growing up was due to several people's bad decisions, but Tsubaki knew that the most important thing right now was providing the love and care that the boy had been lacking all his life.

In a way, Tsubaki was surprised that her nephew never once asked a question about his parents' identity beyond the confirmation that they both had died the day he was born. Was he perhaps afraid that he would find something that he wouldn't like? All in all, it was rather likely, she mused. Being hated by mostly everyone and not knowing the reason why, Naruto had probably assumed that it had been because one of his parents had done something bad, like turn traitor to Konoha or something equally horrible, and the boy had been left to pay for their parents' sins. Which, as far as possible theories for reasons of being hated since the day he was born went, it was a logical deduction, if even an erroneous one. After all, no one, the least of all a kid, would ever suspect that they were carrying a sealed tailed beast inside their body. The same monster who had attacked their own village and killed countless people as if they had been no more than ants; the same one that was hated so brutally and blindly that people always looked beyond the boy and only saw the destroyer of their homes and families that was housed inside his tiny body.

''You'll show them all, Naruto,'' Tsubaki assured her nephew, after a long silence, as no one broke their collective hug. Her voice burned with conviction, though she, herself, didn't know if she was still talking about his classmates or the village in general. Thankfully, they still hadn't reached the more travelled paths of the village, so one bore witness to that moment of familial bonding. ''One day, they'll all see what a great person you are. Ichigo and I will be with you every step of the way, always loving and supporting you.''

Naruto's shoulders shook with unrestrained sobs, tears escaping his closed cerulean eyes at a steady pace.

''Yeah, and then you'll be Hokage and the greatest ninja ever!'', Ichigo added, his young face utterly serious and voice strong. ''Believe it!''

The last words made Naruto half-laugh, half-choke, before he loosened the embrace a bit and looked at his new-found but already deeply loved family.

''Yeah, believe it!'', he agreed in a more uplifting mood, his tears and sobs tapering off eventually.


	15. Chapter 14 - Memories and Realities

GASP! Is this a new chapter in less than 24 hours? Why, yes, it is.

Someone asked about Tsubaki being the Head of Clan Namikaze. The answer is no, Minato's father was only a merchant from the Land of Tea, no ninja relations whatsover besides Minato.

As for pairings: possibly Tsubaki/Kakashi, if somehow I'm able to write romance, which I'm still a little doubtful about, frankly. For Naruto and his generation, it's still too soon. They're only 9, people.

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER 14 – Good Memories and Bleak Realities

''Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.'' - Dr. Seuss

* * *

After that bonding moment, the rest of the trip to Ichiraku's Ramen was uneventful. Or, as uneventful, as it could be, if you ignore the villagers' behaviour – the barely contained whispers, hostile looks and the wide berth everyone gave the group of four and one dog as they passed.

At least, no one was stupid enough to confront any of them directly – or rather Namikaze Tsubaki, as apparently it was already widely known that she was someone you didn't want to mess with, on pain of public disgrace or something worse –, because Tsubaki wasn't sure that she could contain herself after all the crap that had happened these last few days. One could only take so much before they broke down and lashed out at the world, completely disregarding the consequences of their outburst. She had her patience, but it had never been the best and she was sure that it would never be. And tolerance for bigoted fools was something mostly inexistent in her.

''Teuchi-jiji, your best customer has arrived!'', Naruto announced loudly, as soon as he stepped into the small Ramen Stand, his expression and tone apparently already entirely moved on from his past emotional breakdown.

''Hey, Naruto!'', the man behind the counter exuberantly answered back, sending a beaming smile at the blond troublemaker. ''It's been three days since the last time I saw you. I almost thought that you forgot about us.''

Naruto's face was a mix between insulted, horrified and stupefied, his blue eyes huge at the mere mention that he could ever forget about the place that made the 'best ramen in the whole world'. His shock was so bad that he had frozen in the middle of taking his customary seat in front of the counter.

''What? No, never!'', he was quick to deny, frantically shaking his head for good measure, before he properly sat on the seat. ''What a blasphemy, jiji!''

Entering with the others (after dismissing Mamoru), Tsubaki was beyond amused at this little scene; at the same time she was happy that there was someone else who treated her nephew kindly, her faith in humanity still not completely gone.

''Hey, Naru-chan!'', cheerfully called a smiling teenage girl (around fourteen Tsubaki would guess) behind Teuchi-san, her similarities with the older man making it clear that they most likely were father and daughter. ''I thought that I heard you from the back. Missed me?'', she added jokingly, as she patted Naruto in the head as if he was a puppy.

''Ayame-neechan!'', the blond boy complained feebly, as he tried to comb his hair back in place, as futile an action as it was. It seemed that it was not only the infamous Potter hair that was eternally messy and impossible to tame in any kind of neat shape.

The girl dutifully ignored Naruto's complains with an air that spoke of long practice as she turned towards the rest of the group.

''Hello, welcome to Ichiraku's Ramen, everyone,'' Ayame greeted kindly, smiling all the while.

Everyone answered back in their own way, introducing themselves (except Kakashi, who eye-smiled and lazily waved), before taking seats on each side of Naruto, who was already prattling away his dinner order. Tsubaki started to feel perplexed at the amount of bowls that he was ordering.

 _Wow, the kid's stomach must be a black hole or something; it can't be biologically possible that so much food can fit in a nine years old boy's belly. Then again, I always wondered how Ron could eat so abnormally much, all the bloody time, and still be as thin as a stick. Another mystery of the universe, for sure..._

''Does Naruto always eat this much?'', Tsubaki asked as she watched in morbid curiosity as her nephew ravenously attacked his first bowl in a way that seemed that he hadn't eaten all day, well before everyone else had time to pick up their own chopsticks.

Ayame barely batted an eyelash at Naruto's outrageous eating habits as she answered.

''Oh, yeah! Naru-chan has always been like that. At the beginning, I tried to make him eat more slowly, but it was completely futile,'' the teenager explained calmly as she worked on the other side of the counter. Her father had gone to the back, saying that he had something to do.

''Mum, this is good, but not as great as onigiri or even dango,'' was Ichigo's solemn proclamation after he ate a few bites of his Chicken Ramen.

''What?'', Naruto cried indignantly as he stopped in the middle of his 'ramen frenzy' to look at his cousin in half disbelief, half outrage. ''You can't be serious! I told you, this is the food of gods, there is nothing better than ramen!''

The kids started bickering about which was the best food ever, Ichigo giving as good as he got from Naruto. Tsubaki let them to it, somewhat already used to their childish quarrelling, and turned to Ayame and Teuchi-san, who had returned from the backroom.

''Does Naruto come here often?'', she asked curiously, as she ate calmly. The ramen was actually very good but she preferred other kinds of food, not that she would say that to Naruto's face. The kid seemed already offended enough that his cousin didn't share his view about the 'food of the gods'.

''Yeah, he's been coming here for years, actually,'' Teuchi replied even as he filled another bowl of Miso Ramen for Naruto, his third one already. ''His usual is about four to five times a week, more if he gets his sensei or Hokage-sama to come with him and pay for the meal.''

Tsubaki hummed for a moment as she thought about it. Even if ramen was pretty cheap, she wasn't sure if her nephew had enough money to pay for it all, if he came to the stand to eat more than half of his meals every week, and if every time he managed to put away more than half a dozen of bowls at least. The boy had to buy other essentials every once in a while too, she considered, like milk, bread and such, and supplies for the Academy, not to mention any other things that he might need for some reason or other. The woman knew (with the help of passive Legilimency) that most shopkeepers inflated their prices and/or outright sold him damaged goods. With the Standard Orphan Fund Naruto received every month, there couldn't be much left if at all.

Thankfully, the apartment he lived in had been bought upfront by the Hokage, so there was at least that, though she didn't know in what kind of state the place was currently. For all Tsubaki knew, the apartment was barely large enough to a single person. And with a kid living alone, most certainly wasn't the cleanest or tidiest of places. She needed to go and see the place for herself, she decided.

''How does that work for you, if you don't mind me asking?'', Tsubaki asked instead, before she explained when the two only looked back in incomprehension at her. ''If Naruto comes here so often, as you say – how does the system to pay for all those meals work? Does he pay for them every time he comes here or do you have an open tab for him or something else entirely? I know he gets his Orphan Fund every month, but I doubt that it's that much.''

''Oh,'' Ayame said in realization, shooting a quick albeit fond look at Naruto and Ichigo, who were still bickering about something or other, before she turned back to the redheaded woman. ''Usually, we keep a tab for him and at the end of the month, if he can't pay it all, normally the Hokage pays the difference.''

Normally, neither Teuchi nor his daughter would disclose that kind of information, it was nobody else's business after all, but as Tsubaki was Naruto's aunt and seemed to truly care for the blond boy, they saw no problem in explaining as much. As they perceived it, the woman was only looking out for her newfound nephew and, as much as they loved having Naruto at the ramen stand so often, they knew that this kind of food was not very healthy for a growing boy. So, they told her honestly how much ramen the boy would usually eat, so the woman would have an idea about the unhealthy amounts of empty carbohydrates Naruto consumed on a weekly basis so she could attempt to rectify the situation and make the blond eat more healthily.

Tsubaki nodded absentmindedly at that answer, glad that the Hokage was actually looking out for Naruto in some way, as small as it was, considering, and not simply saying the words even if the old man meant them wholeheartedly.

''Alright, from now on, please, at the end of each month, give the whole tab to me and I'll pay it,'' she requested, quickly making her decision. ''Naruto is still a kid, it's not his duty to pay for things that the adults who should be in charge of him should take care of and pay for. As his aunt, that responsibility now falls onto me.''

The Ichiraku's agreed easily with her demand, both accepting and approving of the woman's decision to take care of her nephew like any other responsible adult should. Throughout all this, Naruto never heard a thing as he was too busy eating his fourth bowl and chatting with Ichigo, who was already struggling to finish his own lone bowl of noodles goodness. It seemed their different opinions had been settled, at the least for the moment.

''So, is it true that you really are Minato's sister but never met him, Tsubaki-san?'', Teuchi asked in curiosity after a moment of comfortable silence.

''Yes, it came quite as a shock, honestly,'' the Death's Mistress confirmed, lowering her chopsticks, her meal finished. ''Until his last breath, my father wholeheartedly believed that my brother had died in the attack.''

She then proceeded to retelling the same story she had first told the Konoha shinobi on the way to the village. Naruto stopped talking to his cousin and paid attention to his aunt for the first time since stepping into the shop. It was his first time hearing this as well.

''Did you know my brother well, Teuchi-san?'', Tsubaki asked the cook after finishing her tale, having picked up on the informal way the older man had called the Yondaime Hokage.

''Oh, yes!'', assented Teuchi, animatedly. Thankfully, the stand was empty except for their little group, so the man was free to talk with them without worries. ''Minato first came here a little after I took over my father's place as a cook. It was Uzumaki Kushina who brought him here, almost dragging the poor boy, after he had made a poor comment about ramen and the girl didn't stop until she had proved him wrong. Which she did, the lad loved ramen ever since, both of them did.'' The man's eyes took on a faraway look, clearly recalling fond memories of a distant past. He chuckled as he added, ''I really never fully understood those two's relationship, they were a couple for a long time, but they were always bickering like cats and dogs most of the time. Though, nobody could deny that they would immediately come to the defence of one another if someone wronged them in some way, not that any of them actually needed it, but still… their love for each was as clear and certain as the sky is blue.''

Despite the older man not mentioning it, nor even slightly hinting at it, Tsubaki had the distinct impression that Teuchi knew, or at least heavily suspected, that the aforementioned couple were Naruto's parents. Her claim of being the boy's aunt was helping that assumption a fairly bit as well, she was certain.

Tsubaki was grateful that the man didn't say anything out loud, though, despite the Sandaime's questionable way of going about some issues, she agreed that it was too dangerous for the whole world to know who Naruto's parents had been, at least until the boy was older. After all, that was the reason she was working on a Secrecy Contract for the Council in the first place. Perhaps, later, she would talk privately with the man and elucidate him on the reasons for such secrecy if he hadn't already understood them, anyway.

As for Naruto, she would talk to him about his parents when things were more settled, so that she could sit him down and explain calmly everything and answer any question the boy might have about them that she could answer. She would also need to make it clear that for the time being that information had to be kept secret for his own safety.

''In fact, when Minato became a Jounin and got an Genin Team, all of them were often here as well,'' Teuchi went on, giving a pointed look to Kakashi, which the silver-haired shinobi, seated on the other side of Tsubaki, expertly ignored.

''Was the Yondaime as awesome as they say he was, Teuchi-jiji?'', Naruto asked, awed about the things the old man was telling them; he had never known that the cook had personally met his hero and had known him so well.

''Minato was a genius and a great man and ninja, alright; he even invented some powerful techniques, not that I understand much of them, obviously. Though, he couldn't properly name those if his life depended on it, Kushina had often said,'' Teuchi confided, chuckling in amusement, his tone still reminiscent. ''Why, he once named something as Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black something or other, I really don't recall it exactly anymore, but what I remember perfectly is the teasing and hard time that Kushina had given him when she heard of it. After that, every time he had to name something, it had to be first approved by his girlfriend.''

Teuchi continued to regale them with stories of young Minato and sometimes his impetuous and brazen but always loving girlfriend. They all chuckled as the old cook talked about the great Yondaime Hokage having flaws like any other human being, and not the utterly perfect specimen so many people portrayed him as.

Even Kakashi was amused by the old memories, his book safely tucked away, as he lazily sat there, outwardly indifferent, but actually paying attention to the words of a man that had known a side of his beloved sensei that he had rarely ,if ever, saw.

All in all, it was a very well spent evening with good food and great atmosphere.

* * *

After finally leaving the Ramen Stand, the Uzumaki and Kurosawa Clan Head paying for the entire meal and Naruto's tab while she was at it, Tsubaki insisted in accompanying Naruto all the way home, mentioning that it was already quite late. In actual truth, she wanted to see if the place where her nephew lived was adequate. Perhaps, she would add some subtle wards around the apartment while she was there as well.

When the kid tried to say that it was unnecessary, maybe embarrassed by the messy state of his home, the woman was quick to unleash her own 'puppy-eye-no-jutsu' (where do you think Ichigo learnt it from?), adding a quivering pout for good measure, before saying, ''Why, Naruto? Don't you want to show us where you live? How can we go visit you later if we don't know where is your place?''

Needless to say, Naruto crumbled like a house of cards inside a tornado. The boy started panicking, like any male usually did at the mere possible sight of a female in tears, before he agreed quickly without a fight and lead the way.

 _Ha! Works every time!,_ she smirked deviously to herself in victory. Thankfully, neither Naruto nor Ichigo saw her changing expression, though Kakashi caught it easily enough. She only raised an eyebrow at him in challenge and the man simply eye-smiled at her in response. _Smart man._

* * *

When Tsubaki caught the first glimpse of the building where her nephew's apartment was located, she was far from impressed to say the least. It was situated in, what appeared to be, the poorest area of the village, graffiti decorating random walls on several buildings, trash carelessly thrown on the streets, and generally dirty and bleak surroundings.

 _There is no way that this could be considered a good place for a kid to grow up and live alone,_ she thought in dismay as Ichigo reached for her hand and snuggled onto her side. The little boy had refused to be carried by his mother, stating that he was already a big boy, even though it was clear that he was getting tired.

Spying a suspicious-looking building at the end of the street, as a stumbling man left, clearly more than a little tipsy, before he entered on the one next door, action which illuminated the outside for a moment, showing two women, barely-clad and far from respectable-looking and heavily smoking, Tsubaki focused for a moment there before her expression changed to one of disgust. _Making Naruto live besides a bar and a brothel, how low can you fall in my consideration, old man?_

Fighting her urge to bitterly comment out loud, as Naruto was fidgeting in front of them, no doubt nervous of what they were thinking about at the moment, Tsubaki forcefully ignored their surroundings and kept on walking in silence. Ichigo appeared a bit scared of the atmosphere around them, unsurprisingly really, even if he didn't really understand exactly what and why, so his mother took him on her arms and hug him tightly against her body. If she had known that Naruto lived in some place like this, she would have found some way to not have her precocious son see any of it. Now it was too late, though.

As they mounted the stairs to Naruto's place – it was on the fifth floor, the last one, unsurprisingly – Tsubaki noticed that the building seemed to be practically abandoned, if the sign of wood rotting, heavy dust and spider-webs in every corner of the staircase and ceilings was any indication.

Frankly, the Shrieking Shack seemed almost a comfy and neat place compared to this, she mused bleakly.

''Do you have many neighbours, Naruto?'', she tried for nonchalant, but she doubted she had been successful.

''Huh?'', he asked distractedly, a few steps above them. Tsubaki was right after him carrying Ichigo and Kakashi brought the tail end of the previously silent group, shadowing them, his expression unusually alert and severe, not that any of them saw it. ''Everyone that used to live here has already left a few years ago, right after I moved in. No one wanted to stay close to the 'demon brat''', he explained in his tone a mix of bitterness and despondency.

Naruto's response didn't surprise his aunt in the least. Taking in to account the abandoned-looking state of the building and the general attitude from the villagers, it was really the expected outcome, actually.

As soon as the blond boy arrived at the last floor, Naruto froze for a second before rushing forwards, not saying anything. Alarmed, Tsubaki climbed quickly the last steps and went after her nephew, not knowing what was happening, though she was sure there was no one else in the whole building, so there was no attack coming, at least.

What she saw, when she reached Naruto at the front door of his apartment was a mess greater than she would ever expect from a lone boy living alone. Scratch that, there was no way that the current state of the room could ever be Naruto's doing. Kitchen utensils thrown and broken haphazardly on the floor, the old couch ripped beyond salvation, bed sheets and scrolls ripped to smithereens and other school supplies damaged beyond recognition were only a few of the things that she could identify at first sight.

This horrible picture left the Death's Mistress speechless, mind oddly numb and feeling strangely hot and cold at the same time. She barely noticed when Ichigo slipped from her arms and went to his cousin, offering his emotional support to Naruto even as he started to silently crying at the sight in front of him, the boy understanding enough to know what had happened to his cousin's home.

The last nail was the revolting graffiti sentence in the far wall of the main room. The angry words _'Why won't you die you fucking demon?'_ would be etched into her mind until the end of times, she was certain of it. Naruto's resigned expression – as if this was all a common situation and he just had to bear it and move on, because he couldn't do anything else – only increased her fury further. Tsubaki felt something inside her snap – her temper, sanity, the restrain on her magic or something else altogether, she didn't know nor cared at the moment.

''We're leaving,'' Tsubaki ground out, her fury making talk a very difficult task, but her tone brook no argument. She needed to get away from here, lest she lose what little control she had left and level the building or even the entire street down and everyone with it. She was a very dangerous creature right now, she was aware of it.

Naruto turned to her, hurt and stricken, as if he had been just slapped. With her beyond agitated state of mind, Tsubaki took a few seconds to understand the reason why.

''No, no, Naruto, you'll come with us,'' she argued urgently and decisively, her eyes and face softening slightly at her nephew, as she stepped forward and grabbed the moist-eyed boy's free hand. ''You'll never come back here, if you don't want to. _Over my dead body!_ ''

Unable to speak, Naruto only nodded in agreement and relief, swallowing a sob that wanted to emerge.

''Do you want to see if there's something you take back with you even if it's damaged or broken? As long as you find all the pieces, I can make it as good as new, I promise.''

At the boy's nod, she gave him a cloth bag, retrieved for her always present bottomless bag, to put everything he wanted inside. Naruto promptly stepped into the bedroom, Ichigo glued at his side.

As soon as the boys were out of sight, Tsubaki turned to Kakashi, who had stopped at the threshold of the apartment, seemingly frozen there. With barely restrained fury and magical power, she hissed dangerously, ''Why is Naruto subjected to this, Kakashi-san? From his reaction, I know that this wasn't the first time, so don't even bother lie to me! What has been done to the people who had done something like this in the past?'' When the shinobi didn't respond immediately, she almost shouted angrily, ''Answer me, damn it!''

''I didn't know that this had ever happened,'' the man replied, for once his tone not lazy and apathetic. In fact, he seemed as shocked as he could ever get. ''I was told that he was completely safe.''

Despite her own misgivings against Kakashi, she believed him in this. The Jounin was far too stunned to be lying.

''And you, like a good little soldier, accepted what you're told without reservation,'' she bitterly said instead, making the man flinch guiltily. ''I know the main reason you had to stay away from him, the Sandaime told me, but, still, you're a ninja, for God's sake! Don't tell me that you couldn't have found some underhand way to get close enough to check on him, at least once in a while!''

Well, the woman had previously decided to let Kakashi come to her with his own reason, though it seemed that idea had been shot down the drain. She wouldn't apologize, anyway. She was too pissed off.

''Tsubaki-san, please…'', the shinobi pleaded, sounding pained, taking Tsubaki aback. Despite his posture not being much different than usual, it was clear the man was not alright and far from unconcerned. ''I know that there are some things you want to know. I'm aware that you think little of me at the moment and I don't begrudge you for it. Trust me, most of the time, I hate myself as well. But, please, give me some time to order my thoughts and I'll tell you anything you want to know – within reason, of course, there are some classified information I just can't disclose to you.''

Tsubaki thought about it before nodding in agreement. Frankly, this was neither the time nor the place for that kind of discussion and her lashing mood and magic would not help any either. Besides, she needed to get out of there before she did something irreversible and regretful.

''Alright, but do not take too long, my patience can only last so much,'' Tsubaki warned, as the children came out of the bedroom, their youthful faces oddly serious and determined. She suspected that the two had had their own little tête-a-tête and, despite the current situation, she was happy and relieved that they were getting along so well. ''However,'' she added, her voice hard and deadly serious, ''I want to know who came here and did all this, Kakashi-san. I don't care if it has been previously considered a civilian matter. As a Head of Two Ninja Clans, you have my express permission to do everything in your power to find the culprits. Naruto is my nephew and a member of the Uzumaki Clan, so this became a Clan Matter and within my rights to pursue due justice. Are we clear, Kakashi-san?''

''Very, Namikaze-sama,'' he answered formally, bowing slightly before his posture turned straight and professional.

''Good. Kids, we're going home,'' Tsubaki called to Naruto and Ichigo who were trying to salvage something amidst all the broken crockery and shredded bed sheets and paper.

The boys finally gave their search as a lost cause and approached the woman, both ready to go home. She took each of their hands and turned away from that awful sight, vowing to herself that she would make whoever had defiled her nephew's safe haven rue the day they were born.

Kakashi made a few hand seals and a small pug appeared in a puff of smoke. As the man explained to it what he wanted it to do, all three Namikaze's thoughts were similar, despite the bleak situation, proving in that instance how alike they all were.

 _'So cute!'_

Unaware of the 'aww' moment going on the others' minds, Kakashi turned to them and waited for Tsubaki to lead the way out.

* * *

The mood going back home was a sombre one. Ichigo had finally fallen under the spell of exhaustion about half the way and slept on his mother's arms, not to wake up again until the next morning. Naruto appeared lost in thought; he never let go of his aunt's hand, though. Tsubaki was consistently fighting her righteous fury and her bubbling magic down. And Kakashi was planning the way he would go about apprehending the culprit of break, entering and destroying Naruto's home, he was only waiting for Pakkun's report of what he had found.

As soon as they got home, Tsubaki put both boys to sleep side by side, raising a one-way silencing ward around the bedroom, before she left through the back door. After some quick warming exercises, she mentally called the Elder Ward, version bo-staff, to her hand. She had a lot of venting to do, before she trusted herself to not destroy something by accident.

''Care to have a spar with me?'', Kakashi asked nonchalantly from behind her. Naturally, she had known the man had been there for some time, though she had ignored him until he decided to speak up.

Tsubaki thought about it for a moment, undecided.

''I'm in a destructive mood right now, you're bound to get hurt, badly,'' she warned him, deadly serious.

''Maa, maa, I'm an Elite Jounin, you know,'' Kakashi pointed out lightly, almost teasingly. Their previous heavy conversation would be put away for a later date, by mutual agreement, and for the time any related issue would be ignored. ''I think I can keep up with you for a while, Tsubaki-san. If not, well, you are a medic, you'll patch me up right back, I'm sure.''

Despite her bubbling emotions and magic, she couldn't stop herself from smirking lightly at the man's words. For someone who appeared to dislike any kind of medical treatment upon his person, he surely talked big.

''You're on,'' Tsubaki finally conceded, adopting her starting fighting stance.

Their spar went on for about a half an hour. Kakashi certainly could go much longer, but Tsubaki had suffered Gai's hellish training that morning and her negative emotions quickly drained off her energy even as her magic still felt as alive and active as ever.

The Jounin got some nasty surprises during the match as he had expected she would only fight with her weapon of choice and had loudly yelped when Tsubaki had sent some hexes his way the first times, not that really dangerous – she didn't want to kill the man, after all – but still uncomfortable if the target was caught by them. Stinging Hexes, _Aqua Erecto_ (a version of _Aquamenti_ ), _Carp Retractum_ (produced a rope from her hand, which would pull him towards her if the man got caught), and even a _Steleus_ (which Kakashi had luckily dodged, or else he would be sneezing for a while), and much more were used intermittently with blows from her trusty bo-staff, which Kakashi almost effortlessly dodged, showing the great difference between their physical skills.

When they stopped, Tsubaki was panting, sore, bruised and completely spent. She was sure that Kakashi had gone easy on her, or at least not at his full power, or the fight would have ended much too soon in Kakashi's favour as she wouldn't use her most deadly spells. Nevertheless, she was proud of she had been able to accomplish as the man was not completely unscathed either.

Kakashi's clothes were a bit damp and she was sure that he was sporting some angry red welts underneath from her stinging hexes and sore due to her banishing charm that had thrown him against a tree, at least. Despite that, he stood there like his usual nonchalant self, hands on his pockets and posture slouched.

''Well… it was a good warming up, I guess,'' he commented lazily, clearly smirking through his mask.

Tsubaki shot him a weak glare at that, though she didn't answer because she was still too busy recovering her breath and healing her sustained injuries. She vowed that she would get him, eventually, he'd see.


	16. Chapter 15 - Mysteries Abound

God, I don't know what's happening by I'm milking this unbelievable amount of inspiration for all its worth, believe it! (I'm pretty sure that as soon as this bout stops, it'll months without writing a word. Yeah, I'm weird like that.)

Anyway, some plot development in this chapter and… finally, young Sasuke makes his first appearance. Yay! It's a small one, but still. I tried to make him as cannon as possible, at least for now, and I think I succeeded reasonably well. Maybe…

On another note, I don't know if anyone noticed, but I royally suck at fighting scenes, so don't expect many detailed fights in this story. When there'll be a need for a more detailed one, I'll do my best but don't expect anything truly remarkable, you've been warned. Lol! Just thought that I should put it out there, for future reference.

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER 15 – Mysteries Abound

''Part of her mystery is how she is calm in the storm and anxious in the quiet.'' - Jim Sterm

* * *

Due to her emotional and physical draining day, Tsubaki was asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow. Her rest was far from undisturbed, though. She didn't remember it clearly, thankfully, but she was plagued by nightmares where Naruto had been home when his apartment had been broken into and the results had been horrifying and painful.

At first, the young woman thought she had woken in the middle of the night because of it, but then, as soon as her mind cleared a bit, she understood that the actual reason was far different.

The house's wards were blaring insistently in the back of her mind, alerting her that there was someone attempting to enter at the moment. She concentrated for a moment and pinpointed the exact location of the intruder.

 _Second floor, back side wall, third window from the right side; one of the empty guestrooms._

The Mistress of Death's face twisted into a terrific expression which promised a good deal of retribution to whoever had been fool enough to go against her. There wouldn't be any forgiveness shown to the trespasser – and whoever it was that ordered him to come and attack her home as well.

After she took another moment to think it all through, she slipped out of the bed and quickly made her way to Kakashi's room, not even bothering to put a housecoat over her sleeping clothes – a simple green t-shirt and cotton shorts set –, it was warm enough to go without. There was no rush, though, whoever it was, wouldn't go anywhere else anytime soon.

Kakashi opened the door barely a second after she knocked on his door, still fully masked and clothed, except for his flak vest, his strong muscles clear visible through the thin black shirt. His forehead protected was absent as well, though his left eye was still closed, showing a long, vertical scar running through it.

 _Damn, he's hot!_ She couldn't help but think, as her gaze ran appreciatively up and down the fine specimen in front of her. _Blood hell, focus, Potter! This is so not the time to be ogling the man!_

''Is there something the matter, Tsubaki-san?'', the shinobi in question asked, fully awake, but thankfully unaware of her house-host's thoughts.

''There's someone attempting to break into the house through the window of the bedroom next door,'' she calmly explained, pointing with a finger to the room in question, as if she was commenting on the weather.

''What?'', the man demanded, suddenly all alert and serious, having a very different reaction, expectedly. He quickly spun back into his room to put on his flak jacket and forehead protector, before he came out, ready to take on whatever foe was trespassing.

''No need to rush, Kakashi-san,'' Tsubaki tried to calm the shinobi down as she went after him. ''The intruder won't go anywhere else anytime soon and, if you recall, this house's protections are far from weak,'' she added with a pointed look. He should remember, he had suffered through a bit of them, the mildest defence but still. ''In fact, there is no need to do anything to stop whoever it is; the wards will do all that own their own. I just thought that you'd like to witness first-hand the full power of the protections, so that you could finally relax a little and believe me when I say that this house is as protected as it possibly could get.''

Kakashi turned to her, doubt still clearly radiating from him. It was clear that he really didn't believe her assurances. Not that surprising, really, all things considered, Tsubaki mused; the man was a shinobi and, like every other high-level ninja, didn't put much worth in a civilian's confident words of security, regardless of the power already shown by that same person.

''Come with me,'' she said, after thinking a bit. Kakashi only looked sceptically at her. ''I'm going to show you what I'm talking about.''

When the man still didn't budge from where he was standing with his hand around the door handle of the empty guestroom, Tsubaki reached out and loosely grabbed him with by his other forearm.

''C'mon, you'll like what you see, I'm sure of it,'' she urged with a wicked smirk that promised only bad things to her enemies.

Against his better judgement, Kakashi finally acquiesced to her wishes and followed her down and then out of the house, through the back door.

Hidden by the shadows, they soon witnessed what was happening to the intruder. The man was on the ground, not being able to hold onto the wall through chakra use and was already twitching wildly due to the downgraded Cruciatus inflicted on him. Tsubaki had to applaud his willpower, though; the man didn't make a peep. After another couple of seconds, the intruder froze suddenly before he went absolutely limp, like a puppet which had had its strings cut.

A few more seconds passed in completely silence. Tsubaki was proud of a job well done. She was feeling giddy inside, thrilled really. After all the crap she had been through lately, it was great to have something tangible finally happening that could possibly assuage some of her steadily growing stress. Her previous spar with Kakashi had done wonders to her tension levels but the results of it would be fleeting at best. Now, she could eventually have some answers and a bit of retribution as well on whoever had sequestrated this underhanded mission.

In turn, Kakashi was as gobsmacked as he would ever get. He hardly believed the sheer power and unrelenting and deadly force of the defences that he had just witnessed, which for all his genius he still didn't understand how they really worked. He knew that the mysterious young woman had fully believed in what she had told him, but he had honestly remained sceptic until this last moment.

''Is he dead?'', Kakashi finally broke the silence, warily approaching the stranger laid down completely unmoving in front of them and eyeing him distrustfully.

''In a matter of speaking,'' Tsubaki carelessly replied, advancing as well before stopping at the Jounin's side and staring at the seemingly dead intruder.

The stranger was undoubtedly a shinobi and a rogue one at that, the forehead with the Mist symbol with a slash through was the only proof needed. Besides that, there wasn't much that stood out from the man's appearance overall – dark hair, pale face and average height and weight. His clothes were dark and unremarkable as well. There was no sign of a sword or any kind of other weapon seen on his person, besides the usual kunai pouch on his right thigh.

''What does that mean, exactly?'', Kakashi asked bemused, after he had studied the lifeless body at his feet.

''For all intents and purposes, he's dead, though not really. I guess you could call it a false death state or something?'', she half asked, half stated, before she shrugged as if that detail was of little importance. ''At any rate, the only way this one will ever wake again is if the proper antidote is administered directly to his bloodstream.''

Kakashi looked at her, baffled for a moment, inwardly thinking how such a – dangerous technique, poison, whatever it was? – thing was on the hands of a civilian woman (though he started to use that term rather loosely on her person; she was, after all, more lethal than many ninja he had met), who knew exactly how to use it, at a distance no less, and whose allegiance to Konoha was shaky at best. It was something crucial that he'd have to report to the Hokage as soon as possible, he concluded.

In the end, Kakashi decided to not comment further on it and just accept the woman's word for now. He had to take the rogue ninja to the T&I department, anyway.

''Do you sense any other chakra signature near?'', he asked instead, knowing that Tsubaki was a sensor and relying on her to confirm if the Mist missing ninja was working solo.

''Nope, not a soul,'' she easily stated more truthfully than the man could ever guess.

That answer had to be good enough for him.

After the Copy Nin put a Chakra Disrupting Seal on the stranger for good measure – there were never enough guarantees when enemy ninja were concerned – and confirming once more that he wouldn't move any time soon, Kakashi hauled the lifeless body up and onto his shoulder.

Tsubaki had gone into the house and back as quickly as she could, without right-out Apparating, and handed out a small, thin vial filled with a dark liquid. At his curious look, she simply said that it was the 'antidote' for the false-death state.

''I trust that you'll stay inside while I'm gone,'' Kakashi half-asked, half-pressured, finally certain in the knowledge that this house was as close to an impenetrable fortress as it could get. Everyone would be safe, at least for a while, he was sure, as long as no one left the house in his absence, that is.

''Of course,'' she guaranteed in a tone that somehow didn't assure him much, not that the Elite Jounin could do much about it for the moment. ''As soon as your people find out who and why my house was attacked, I'll want answers, as it is my right as a Head Clan, Kakashi-san,'' she added in a more formal and no nonsense tone, her eyes hard and unforgiving.

''I'll do my best, Namikaze-sama,'' he replied formally as well.

His answer was not exactly what Tsubaki liked, but she was sensible enough to understand that it was as good as she would get from him, currently. No doubt, she would have to press the Hokage later to know the details.

The matter settled for the moment, they exchanged a mute nod, before Kakashi vanished soundlessly in the shadows.

* * *

It was supposed to have been a quick and easy mission. Go to a small village near the border of the Land of Fire with the Land of Rivers and find out who was pretending to be spiteful spirits (of all daft things) that were scaring the villagers and robbing the farmers' cattle and crops and swiftly deal with them.

 _Easy peasy, lemon squeezy,_ had been the prompt thought of Hagane Kotetsu, one of the team's members. Despite the threat level, or rather the lack thereof, of this particular mission, he had been eager to go. Guard Gate duty was one of most boring jobs he had done since becoming Chunnin and he was more ready for some action by now, even though they should only encounter a group of pathetic bandits.

Kamizuki Izumo and Inuzuka Hana had shared their teammate's point of view. The former couldn't agree more on the fact that Guard Gate was as unexciting as it could get most of the time and the latter was looking forward to leave the village for a while and relieving some stress on unsuspecting criminals, after being cooped up on the veterinary clan clinic for so long.

For a three-man team of seasoned Chunnin it should be awfully simple as there were no signs of any ninja activity. Actually, the only reason the Hokage had not sent a Genin Team instead was simply because the available ones at the time were Rookies and still not ready to take on a C-ranked mission and everyone else of lower rank was already out of the village.

As predicted, they solved the mystery of the malicious spirits and stolen goods in less than a day and half, the world becoming a relatively better place after being rid of two dozens of petty thieves. In fact, the problems only started when the team was about two hours away of average speed by tree-hopping from the village.

The attack had come literally from nowhere, not even the three Haimaru Brothers, Hana's triplet ninken, had sensed the enemy approaching, which honestly clearly spoke of the stranger's high skills. The strong gust of wind sent the Chunnin team's way scattered everyone as each quickly fought to stay upright and not falling down to the ground below.

Swiftly recovering their bearings, they each silently studied the man in front of them. For all intents and purposes, he seemed as if he had not just attacked them without warning and stood on another tree branch a few feet away in a posture that screamed relaxed and completely uncaring, which frankly pissed the Konoha ninjas off. As if the three of them could not even be considered a threat!

As far as physical appearances went, the mysterious man was completely ordinary – brown hair and eyes, average stature and bulk. His age was not certain either, he either could be 25 or 40, or any age in-between. His clothes were clearly suited for shinobi use, which consisted of black and dark blue. The only surprising thing about him was that he didn't possessed a forehead protector – even Rogue Ninja wore theirs with a slash across their former village's symbol, like a big middle finger sent at the place they were once part of. So, they couldn't even discern that much from the man and thus had no idea of what he could do or why they were being attacked in the first place.

The man offered no information, only regarding them all with an eager and almost insane light in his eyes, before he turned to face Izumo directly and attacked with unrelenting and intense taijutsu. This vein of attack continued for a little while, forcing them all to the forest ground below where they could move more freely.

The fight that followed was surely one of the most brutal that all of them had ever been through, not even during their Chunnin Exams had they faced someone of such a high level and raw power. It was clear that the unknown ninja was easily Jounin rank. No matter what any of them threw at him – from the dual long-practised of mace and sword-combined attacks by Izumo and Kotetsu, which they considered their best Bukijutsu joint technique, to the combined force of Hana and the Tree Haimaru Brothers and their best jutsu, _Fang Rotating Fang_ – it appeared as if he only shrugged everything off with very little direct hits upon his body. Not to mention the man's strength – he was a beast; they suspected he could compare easily with Maito Gai in matters of speed, power and level of taijutsu, and his Ninjutsu was nothing to sneeze at, either.

Though they individually thought all this and were aware of their own probable inability of defeating such a tough foe if the pattern continued, they didn't back down, as it would mean their death. However, the three of them soon began to realize that the stranger was simply toying with them. The lack of heavy breathing and the smirk he was clearly sporting now were sure ways to make them understand this fact.

Contrastingly, Kotetsu, Izumo, Hana and her ninkens were each fast reaching their last drop of chakra and energy and barely stood upright fighting to not lose conscious, panting, bleeding and broken, while the man appeared to be still fresh as a daisy after all the fight they had been through.

It was a despairing thought, they could admit in the safety of their minds. They had given it their all and it seemed that was very far from being enough. Just how strong was that man?

And then, when they inwardly started to become to terms with their own eminent deaths, the stranger seemed to back off, hands lazily going into his pants' pockets, and simply eye them as if they were an interesting specimen under his microscope. Somehow, that look made them all think of Orochimaru of the Sannin, traitor of Konoha, widely infamous for his unauthorized and highly unethical experiments on unsuspecting victims.

They shuddered as one as an icy chill ran down their backs. That definitely wasn't good.

''For a quick entertainment, you three tree-huggers were not really that bad, though I had really expected much better,'' the man spoke for the first time, with a sigh of disappointment. His tone albeit lazy and calm carried easily around their surroundings. ''But, well, what should I expect? You're barely more than kids and I was told that Konoha has been lowering their general shinobi acceptable standings since the Kyuubi's attack. I just didn't want to believe it, so really it's my damn fault.''

The man seemed to berate himself for his own foolishness under his breath, while the tree Chunnin could barely hold on to their conscious and stood there. Though, a couple of thoughts similarly ran through their minds. Who was really this man? Why did he attack them? And was he as crazy as he appeared to be?

Shaking his head one last time, the stranger seemed to get out of his funk and studied the trio anew. Barely seeing him at all, such it was the great speed he moved with, they could only helplessly watch as the man injected some kind of dark liquid – poison more than likely, their minds idly suggested – on Hana's left forearm, before he bounded away from them, farther than he had been before.

''That's a special poison I spent this last year creating,'' he calmly explained, even as Hana collapsed and only Izumo's quick reflexes saved her from falling down heavily to the ground. The next second she started screaming, her bare arm, where the poison had been injected, turned an ominous purple and started slowly spreading outwardly. ''There's no antidote or any kind of cure for it and has devastatingly and deadly effects. It will gradually spread throughout her body, killing her slowly and excruciatingly,'' the man added gleefully, his eyes gaining a maniac light of one who's eager to find out the results of his most recent experiment, all the while Hana's screams went wholeheartedly ignored by him. ''I'll look forward to see what Konoha's great medics will do to save the heiress of one of their precious Ninja Clans. I highly doubt that they will be successful, but maybe I'll be surprised. Worry not, I will find out either way. _Ja ne_!'', he parted with a cheerful wave before completely disappearing.

Izumo and Kotetsu didn't lose any time after that. After they both swallowed a chakra pill each, they sealed the tree Haimaru brothers on their scroll and turned to Hana who finally had lost conscious. They both took a side before as quickly as they could – which was not really much, as they had been throughout beaten and their bodies couldn't take much more, despite the sudden increase of their chakra levels – run towards Konoha, all the while praying to a God they didn't believe in that somehow the stranger was wrong and Hana would be alright.

* * *

Thankfully, Izumo and Kotetsu ran into another Konoha's team – a Genin Team to be exact – a bit less than an hour from the village. After quick check to verify their identities, the team's leader postponed their mission momentarily to help their comrades back to Konoha and the hospital as fast as they were able.

As soon as Hana was carted off by the medics, the two Chunnin sighed in relief and thanked the Jounin who helped them back. With a dismissive gesture and a lazy 'It was nothing', the man herded his students and took off. At the same time, someone from the Inuzuka Veterinary Clinic came by the hospital to take the scroll where the ninkens had been placed and rushed off to see to their injuries as well.

After being treated by medics, themselves, Izumo and Kotetsu searched for news of their third teammate. What they found was very discouraging news.

It seemed that everything the stranger had said about the poison was completely true. It had devastating effects; it was excruciating and was slowly killing Hana from the inside. Worse even, it seemed that the unknown toxin reacted badly with the medics' attempts and chakra making it work faster than before. Thankfully, at least the young kunoichi was unconscious for all that.

The medic in charge, Tsukino Kaede, was absolutely panicking inside.

Being a medic had been always her dream and vocation and she had fought hard for it. She loved helping people, regardless of anything else, so it didn't really matter who was her patient, she would do her best for them all. However, she was well aware who her patience at the moment was. She could only imagine the hell that Inuzuka Tsume, Hana's mother and the Inuzuka Clan Head, would raise when she found out that her only daughter was dying and there was not a damn thing anyone could do to stop it. She didn't know if it was a good thing or not that that powerful and boisterous mother was currently away on a mission. Making an enemy of a Clan Head was never a good thing; and a grieving mother with enough power to ruin your life, even less so.

When Kaede was ready to throw down the figurative towel and break her professional mask and despair in full view, one of Hana's teammates abruptly had an idea that could be the only hope for Hana's survival. Regardless of her opinion on the subject, she wouldn't refuse any kind of help at the moment, no matter if she was all but coming to terms that she was completely inadequate to save her young patient from certain death.

''Wait!'', Kotetsu had suddenly said, remembering something that he had heard the evening before they had left for their mission, three days previously. ''I think there is someone who can maybe save Hana.''

Izumo looked at his partner in surprise for a couple of seconds, before he, too, recalled the same bit of information.

''Namikaze-sama?''

''Yeah,'' Kotetsu confirmed his friend's guess, before he turned back to Tsukino-san to explain, a new light of hope in his eyes. ''Namikaze-sama was able to cure Hayate's long term coughing problem in a couple of minutes. He's perfectly healthy, I heard him say so himself.''

Kaede was shocked to say the least. Despite not being part of the team that had researched and tried to find a cure to Gekko Hayate's poisoning case, she was still aware of it – she doubted that there was a medical staff in the Konoha Hospital who wasn't. Obviously, Kaede didn't know the details, patient's confidentiality and all that, but still did know enough to know that what Namikaze-sama had done, if Kotetsu's words were genuine, could be considered as close to a miracle as any only-science-believing person could get.

The medic's decision was an easy and quick one. They had nothing else to lose, after all, if they didn't stop the poison any time soon, then it would be too late to save Hana and still have some kind of comfortable life, never mind continue her kunoichi life.

''Alright,'' Kaede consented, as new determination and hope filled her being. ''Where can we find her?''

Kotetsu slightly grimaced at that. He had no idea where the Namikaze young woman was living at the moment. At any rate, she would most likely be guarded by ANBU 24/7 and there was no way he would be able to reach her easily without some kind of check-up against any enemy attack, which take precious time.

''We will ask Hokage-sama, directly,'' Izumo responded smoothly, making his friend's eyes sharply snap up to his partner in surprise.

 _How didn't I think of that?,_ the man wondered, annoyed. _Gods, Izumo is right, sometime I'm an idiot._

Unaware of his partner's disheartened thoughts, Izumo quickly assured the woman that they would bring Namikaze-sama as soon as they were able.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke could be considered many things by the villagers of Konohagakure, specially the civilians. He was indisputably a budding genius, the best student of his class at the Academy and the love interest of more than ninety per cent of the female students on his year, at least.

Those were all facts that one and all, who knew of him, would agree to in a heartbeat, although, what almost everyone ignored (or tried to) was that there was much more to the last loyal Uchiha than that. Most elected to ignore the darker truths of the black-haired, black-eyed nine years old, generally treating the boy as if he was royalty living amongst peasants.

The more perceptive and experienced ninja would say that Sasuke was an anti-social, cold, quiet, single-minded, revenge-driven, traumatized child who had been left to his own devices for too long without any responsible adult to help him in any way that really mattered. However, these same people were never asked for their honest views. The ones with the actual power to aid the Uchiha child never bothered to find out more than they wished to, content in their ignorance and/or arrogance that they knew best; and thus the boy had never received any proper psychological help to move on from the traumatic events which had changed his life forever.

Above all, Sasuke considered himself an avenger, the only who could and _would_ one day revive the Uchiha Clan to its former glory after he killed the man who was entirely responsible for making him an orphan and massacre his whole clan in a single night. To him, there was nothing more important than that. There was absolutely no hesitation about it. This had been his goal in life since that nightmarish night and he would stick to it and, come hell or high water, he would succeed or die trying.

To him, socially interacting with his peers, making friendships or having any kind of bond with another human being were useless endeavours. What really mattered was becoming strong, stronger than anyone else and be able to defeat _that man_.

That was why, every school weekend – from Friday evening to Monday morning – Sasuke would lock himself away in the empty and haunted Uchiha Compound and do nothing but train, train and train some more until he passed out from sheer exhaustion, only to wake up later and do it all over again.

So, imagine his utter shock when that fine and sunny Monday morning – not that he really ever cared about such meaningless things as the weather – on the way to the Academy, he heard many civilians comment about a newcomer who apparently claimed to be the sister of the famous Yondaime, who – here, Sasuke almost stopped breathing such was his level of astonishment – had a small son that was half Uchiha. There were many more things they whispered about that woman; some said in awe, others in fear and even others downright sceptical about all of it.

However, Sasuke wasn't listening anymore. His mind had firmly seized the only point that mattered to him and ignored everything else. If they were to be believed, there was someone else in the village who was an Uchiha, someone who was family and, more importantly, someone who was not _him_.

Now, the boy had to decide what he would do about this bit of information.


	17. Chapter 16 - A snake hidden in the grass

Hello! I'm still alive! And, no, don't worry, this story is not abandoned.

I'm sorry for the very long wait. Between the lack of time and inspiration, tendinitis and sheer laziness and procrastination, more than 3 months have passed. I'm awful, I know.

Anyway, I've had a very hard time with this chapter. I've written it several times and in the end, it came out completely different from what I'd previously planned. That's my muse for you, never follows my orders.

Still, I'm not very satisfied with it and later I might return and rewrite it if I feel like it (though, most likely not, I am lazy after all).

This story is crossposted at AO3, under the same name.

As always, please share your thoughts.

* * *

''Be careful, just because it's shiny and new-looking, it doesn't mean it's a gem. The devil clothes things to atract and deceive.'' - Unknown

''Be not deceived with the first appearance of things, for show is not substance.'' - Proverb

* * *

CHAPTER 16 – A snake hidden in the grass

That early Monday morning, in the Land of Sound, more accurately inside a hidden base below a tree, which bore two markings on it reminiscent of a snake and what appeared to be a snake's skull on the top-most part, the strange man who had just attacked and poisoned Inuzuka Hana soundless appeared before his currently industrious master, surrounded by a copious amount of scrolls.

''Orochimaru-sama, the mission was a complete success,'' the man calmly declared to his master as he bowed deeply in a sign of utter respect for the figure in front of him.

''Excellent,'' the infamous traitor Sannin replied, barely acknowledging his underling's presence, as his gaze remained firmly on his work. ''I trust there was no difficulty, Noboru.''

''None, Orochimaru-sama, it was exactly as you said. They were absolutely no opposition to me,'' the follower confirmed easily and matter-of-factly, all the while maintaining his deferential position. ''I conveyed the poison's information as you ordered. By my estimate, they should be already within the village and attempting the poison's extraction, right now.''

''They will quickly understand that such a feat is impossible by any normal medical methods, kukuku…,'' Orochimaru commented smugly, finally raising his gaze from the scroll he had been writing on and turning to look directly at his underling. The man smirked back at his master, sharing the same sentiment. ''Now, we only have to wait and see if that woman will bite the bait and show us what she's really capable of.''

The Sannin turned back around, his attention once more on his experiments' study.

''You're dismissed.''

What are you going to do now, I wonder, Namikaze Tsubaki-san?

* * *

That same Monday morning was an overall rushed affair in the Namikaze's household.

Firstly, Tsubaki had forgotten to set up her alarm clock for earlier than usual and, as such, when she woke up at seven, she had to ready herself for the day at a run. For the millionth time in her life, she was thankful for having magic on her side, because otherwise it would have been impossible to do everything she needed to do before leaving the house that morning and not be late.

The meeting with the Hokage was scheduled for ten a.m. but she wanted to drop by the Real State Agency before that to put an offer to the building she wanted to buy. Also, Naruto started his classes at the Academy at half-eight and it would take about fifteen minutes to reach the school from the house without taking off in a full-out sprint. Also, Tsubaki needed to cook breakfast and prepare a bento-box for her nephew for lunch and a midmorning snack-to-go for her son, as she didn't know when she would be finished at the Hokage Tower.

Thinking about everything she had to do that long day and the less than satisfying night's sleep she just had, Tsubaki dug out an Energizing Potion and downed it in one go, barely noticing the nasty taste. Gai's hellish training session combined with the spar with Kakashi last night had left her body more than a little sore and her mind weary and she would need to be as mentally and physically sharp as possible to deal with everything the day would certainly bring upon her.

This potion was a relatively recent creation which essentially combined the Pepper-Up and Wit-Sharpening Potions together. In laymen's terms, it gave the drinker more clarity of thought and invigorated the body simultaneously, which was often used by tired wizards and witches on little to no sleep, though frequent repeatedly use was unwise, as it could be addictive and/or cause several unexpected side-affects – such as severe mood swings, piercing headaches, and many others. Tsubaki had bought a whole case of the, thankful that this potion had a reasonably long shelf-life, but she didn't take it often, only when really necessary, for obvious reasons.

This was one of the several potions that Tsubaki was unable to successfully brew – oh, she had the skill needed to make it (the brew really wasn't that complex to create), however it was absolutely useless, due to her Death's Mistress' powers – as it dealt directly with the effects of natural causes upon one's health, such as lack of sleep and fatigue due to insufficient rest or overtaxing of the body in general. With her new magic, the concoction would be as effective as a mouthful of mud and just as repulsive as well.

As this particular meeting with the Hokage dealt with very important and official Clan Matters, Tsubaki decided that the wisest option was to dress accordingly. So, it was due to that reason that she was decked out in full Clan Head regalia, typically used in important and formal events. In this instance, she elected the Uzumaki clan as it was the oldest and most prominent of the two, as well due to its former ties with Konoha. To anyone who would see her in the streets as she passed that morning, it would show that she was taking her new position as Clan Head seriously and would send a message to anyone with a working brain that Naruto was under two ninja clans' protection. (It remained to be seen, however, if they would take this clear fact to heart and not be stupid enough to go against two clan ninjas in their blind hatred towards Naruto.)

Because of its status as a Ninja Clan, unlike the customary civilian ones, the Uzumaki traditional Head Clan female garments consisted of a sleeveless, thigh-length, battle kimono in beautiful shades of azure and sapphire, which was paired off with simple, black shorts, fishnet pantyhose and knee-high reinforced black leather boots. Stitched proudly on her back, there were the Uzumaki and Kurosawa insignias – a red spiral and a Japanese style black-serpent vaguely resembling an Ouroboros, respectively. This was something she appreciated wholeheartedly as she didn't care much for the full, heavy and restrictive traditional kimonos that she had to wear frequently in her time at the Daimyo's palace. To finish it off, with the help of magic, Tsubaki put her long, unruly red hair in a Japanese style bun secured by a simple silver hairpin and she was ready to face the day.

Overall, her kunoichi outfit was a very form-fitting and alluring affair, with a generous décolletage, not leaving much to the imagination, and Tsubaki was inordinately thrilled that she possessed the necessary curves to pull it off successfully. It was something that she wouldn't usually wear, but she like it all the same.

Due to her rather short stature – barely 5' tall – this attire would have been ridiculously out of place in her thin and undeveloped fifteen years old body for example, making it seem as if a little girl had tried to dress up as a grown-up woman and had failed rather spectacularly. Now, Tsubaki had no such concerns as she could objectively see with her own eyes that she indeed had an attractive and womanly body despite being so short. All her regular physical training and inherent magical power helped as well to build an appealing figure.

Granted, Mia Potter/Namikaze Tsubaki would never be a stunning beauty like Ginny Weasley or even Luna Lovegood had turned out to be, but she was still fairly confident in her own appearance and the recently added Namikaze genes improving her features didn't hurt any either.

While idly musing about this, Death finally visited its Mistress after several days of absence.

''Mistress, sometime today, you'll most likely meet Itachi's little brother,'' the immortal Entity announced in its bland tone and without any kind of prelude, its ominous and dark figure contrasting starkly against the brightness of her bedroom.

Being already used to Death's spontaneous entrances, Tsubaki barely twitched in reaction before keeping on putting on her boots.

''Really? I've been wondering when I would be able to finally meeting him,'' she commented thoughtfully. ''Naruto has mentioned him a couple of times in passing. He doesn't seem to care for him much, though.''

''Unsurprisingly, as the both of them at this time are as different, personality-wise, from each other as they possibly could get,'' Death remarked before It added in warning,'' as such, if you don't want to fail before you even start, you can't follow the strategy you're using on Naruto to win over Sasuke.''

''How so?'', Tsubaki asked, her brows scrunched in confusion, finally directing her full attention at Death.

''With Naruto, you offered him someone he could call family; you showed him that you care about him and mean it. For him, that's more than enough. However, in Sasuke's case, the situation's a lot more complicated. If you tried the same route with him, you'd scare him away more quickly than you could blink. No, with the young Uchiha, you have to go about it in a more subtle and careful way – more Slytherin, as your people would put it. For you to be successful, you have to subtly show him that you are approachable and welcoming, but you have to leave the actual approach to him, at his own pace. He will come to you eventually, even if only due to his curiosity about young Ichigo, at first.''

Tsubaki hummed absent-mindedly as she mulled over what Death had just told her. It was unfortunate that Sasuke was such an untrusting and aloof kid, but all things considered, she wasn't that surprised. After all, she had a general idea of what had happened the night the Uchiha Clan had been killed by Itachi. She sighed in slight frustration; the prodigious young shinobi hadn't really done any favours when he had trapped his little brother in his Tsukuyomi.

At any rate, the young witch would follow Death's advice. Despite what she really wanted to do, she easily saw the wisdom in that kind of approach and she wouldn't ruin Sasuke's potential future happiness just because she really didn't like it.

After Death felt its Mistress' mental agreement and determination, It left just as suddenly as It had arrived, leaving Tsubaki in deep thought.

Now, what scheming ways she could use to sharpen the usually aloof and sullen kid's curiosity?

* * *

Before the young woman went down to the kitchen, she stopped by the boys' room to wake them up, action after which a small battle ensued because neither kid was a morning person. Finally exasperated, she had to deliver dire threats to force them to leave their warm covers (no onigiri, dango and ramen for a week), after which they were quick to get up. After she subtly threw a couple of cleaning charms at the both of them, she left them to get ready.

Once again, Tsubaki thanked Merlin for magic as she went about preparing breakfast. There was no way she would be able to do everything necessary with so little time available that morning. Thankfully, Kakashi was still outside in the back garden, doing Merlin-knows-what (he had silently returned in the middle of the night, from taking the intruder away), so she had no worries about being inconspicuous about it, and thus in a matter of five minutes, she had everything ready and a full, delicious breakfast on the table.

Besides some questions and comments about Tsubaki's surprising appearance that morning, the meal was quick and without incidents. The woman had heard Kakashi make an odd sound (as if he was chocking or something) when he had first stepped into the kitchen, but after she had looked his way and, not seeing anything out of place, she dismissed that moment as her imagination.

The little group's way to school was mostly uneventful, if one ignored all the surprised looks and whispers exchanged by the villagers as they approached the Academy. Tsubaki was becoming used to this; or rather, in a way, it was so similar to the way she was viewed in the Wizarding World that she mostly considered it all background insignificant noise at this point, the only exception being when someone was a little bit more daring with their nasty comments and she had to warn them off with a cold glare, which usually took care of the offender.

Kakashi, apparently, was taking his duty a little more seriously that morning as his faithful book was absent, though his posture remained lazy and indifferent to most. His dark eye, however, was sharp and alert. Several times, he had to deliver warning looks of his own, when something particularly unwelcome and unpleasant reached his sensitive ears.

In turn, Ichigo and Naruto were their cheerful selves, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings as they chatted all the way to the Academy. The young Uchiha was trying to convince his cousin to take him to school with him that morning, as he was eager to know how a school for ninja-in-training was like. Tsubaki was quick to stop that train of thought before her son got too carried away by pointing out that Naruto had to ask first his teacher if it was alright for Ichigo to visit, at least.

Agreeing with it, if a bit begrudgingly, Ichigo let the issue go and changed the subject, for which his mother was glad. Her son could be just as determined and single-minded as Tsubaki when he put his mind and will to it, and she really didn't need a tantrum at a time like this. The day was already going to be stressful enough, she reckoned.

Luckily, they were able to reach the Academy in time, though it seemed that everyone was already in the classrooms, only a couple of stragglers were making their way inside at that point.

Tsubaki handed over Naruto his bento box for lunch and a short letter for Iruka-sensei, which she had written that morning before breakfast.

''Tell your sensei that he should read it quickly, otherwise he'll get a nasty shock Uzumaki-style,'' she told him cryptically with a rather mischievous smile.

Naturally this made the boy burning in curiosity, but she simply dropped a quick kiss on Naruto's head, unwaveringly refusing to elucidate further. With the promise that she would be there at four to collect him, they separated ways for the day.

* * *

The Konoha Real State Agency was located nearby so it was a fairly quick journey.

The moment Tsubaki, Ichigo, Kakashi and Mamoru stepped inside, the Yondaime's rumoured sister was quickly recognized by the employees there (the Clan Head regalia was a very clear give-away, naturally), as they practically fell over themselves in their eagerness to help the young woman in any way they could. (Tsubaki barely contained an annoyed eye-roll at that.)

As soon as she stated that she wished to buy the building across from the Hokage Tower, one of the workers promptly summoned their manager, who was currently in his office, while another easily informed her that, due to certain circumstances, that particular contract had to be dealt directly with their boss.

The manager, or Fujita-san as he was swiftly introduced to the Agency's prospective client and her entourage, was a black-haired, brown-eyed man. He was lean and tall, his high quality black suit fitting him perfectly. If Tsubaki had to guess, she'd say that he was younger than thirty. A surprising and impressive point, seeing as everyone else working there was clearly much older than him.

Despite Fujita being impeccably polite as he spoke, for some reason, Tsubaki heard alarm bells blaring in the back of her mind warning her to proceed with caution – this man wasn't what he seemed and he couldn't, in any way, be trusted. As her survival instincts had been honed through many life and death situations and outright battles along the years and never once had led her astray, she wisely didn't ignore them. She had learnt the hard way how much would possibly cost her if she wilfully ignored them; until this day, the regret of those awful decisions still weighted on her mind from time to time.

Therefore, Tsubaki inconspicuously tried to find out what was off with the man who, no matter how you looked, seemed to be as harmless as any average civilian male could be to a highly trained fighter – magical or shinobi alike.

The clue she needed came not long after the end of the formal introductions and everyone went back to what they were doing. Her son had quickly lost interest in the adults and was silently looking around with his ever present curiosity as he leant on his best friend, and even Kakashi was already immersed in his trusty book, seemingly ignoring them all.

The manager invited her into his office to talk business, politely apologizing in the next breath that the room was sadly too small to accommodate them all. The way the huge, black dog, which was currently following the stranger's every move with unblinking, yellow eyes (another point right there that the man was hiding something bad) and the very appraising, albeit highly inappropriate and unsettling, look the man gave Tsubaki before he turned around, expecting her to follow him without another word, was one that Camellia Potter had become unpleasantly familiar with since she was a teenager, being too many times on the highly unwelcome receiving end of it. Perhaps, to someone else – someone more naïve and inexperienced with the darker side of the world –, that kind of look could be considered something much less nefarious, but Tsubaki was sure that she was right in this instance. The inner alarms' pitch increasing was all the confirmation she needed and she restrained herself from reacting outwardly in any way. The fact that she felt the urge to simultaneously cover herself up and throw him an excruciating castration curse didn't help her thoughts about the man in any way.

Not wanting her precious Ichigo anywhere near someone that was raising all kind of instincts she had warning her of danger, Tsubaki retrieved a couple of books from her ever-present bag and gave them to her son, so he could entertain himself for the time being. She exchanged a few words with her constant body-guard, redundantly telling him to keep an eye on her son, before she unfalteringly followed the suspicious man into the small office. One way or another, she would find out what was the deal with Fujita-san. Granted, the man still hadn't actually done anything wrong to her at this point and if he was smart enough probably wouldn't (there were too many people nearby and the infamous Kakashi no Sharingan in the next room), but she consciously couldn't let the matter drop, regardless. Despite not having any kind of evidence, her gut feeling the only thing currently supporting her suspicions, Tsubaki couldn't be convinced that this man was simply what he seemed to be and she would endeavour to find out what he was hiding.

All in all, she was glad that, at least, there weren't any witness in the room to see her, no doubt, upcoming less than honourable deeds. She only needed a little more concrete evidence to decide her following course of action.

* * *

Everyone was still getting settled when Naruto reached his classroom, so he really wasn't that late.

It actually didn't matter to him as he was late frequently and even skipped classes altogether when he felt like it. Not that he would ever freely confess that to his aunt, though, he didn't want her to think bad things about him or be disappointed in him. Which it meant, now that he thought more about it with a bit of dismay, Naruto would be attending the Academy every day and be on time as much as possible, because he didn't want his aunt to be upset with him if he could help it.

Shoving these gloomy thoughts aside, Naruto stepped into the room with his trademark beaming grin, before he walked to Iruka-sensei's desk and proffered the scroll letter his nee-chan had written to the teacher. He was dying of curiosity about what she had done; he hadn't understood what she had meant exactly with 'nasty shock Uzumaki-style'.

Was it an awesome jutsu? Or maybe even a prank? Or was it something else altogether and he was just reading too much into it?

Whatever it may be, he was sure that his nee-chan wouldn't really hurt his teacher – the only one who was nice to Naruto, at that. She didn't really have a reason for it. Still, that mischievous grin she had sported when she had given him the letter was something the blond boy had seen countless times in the mirror when he was looking forward to one of his epic pranks.

''Naruto, you're on time today,'' Iruka commented in clear surprise as he suspiciously eyed the offered scroll. This behaviour wasn't surprising, all things considered. The usually kind and cheerful shinobi had been often the target of Naruto's pranks, so it was expected to be wary of anything his blond student offered him without knowing what was inside. ''What's that?''

''Nee-chan's letter for you,'' Naruto chirped at his favourite teacher, amused that the man was cautious of a simple letter.

''Nee-chan?'', Iruka asked in confusion, still not reaching for the suspicious scroll. This question was echoed by many of the students as well. It was a well-known fact that Naruto was an orphan who lived alone and, as far as everyone knew, he had no family at all.

''Yeah!'', the boy exclaimed loudly, smiling all the while. ''Well, she's not really my sister, though. She's like aunt or something, I don't really understand exactly. But she's really great and awesome! She kicked some bad ninja's butts when she was coming to the village, even though she's not a kunoichi.'' Naruto was proudly babbling about his new family, arms going everywhere in his excitement, and thus oblivious to most everyone's disbelieving expressions. ''And I have a cousin, too. He's still little, but he's awfully smart and…''

''What's her name, Naruto?'', Iruka cut him off, suddenly, apparently having a good idea of who the boy was speaking about.

The excited boy stopped in his tracks and frowned in concentration for a moment.

What were their names exactly, again?, he thought. His nee-chan had told him that remembering people's full names was something important when he had thoughtfully asked why it was necessary.

''Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki and her son is Uchiha-Namikaze Ichigo.''

Iruka seemed to relax a bit at that answer, apparently proving what he had already suspected, while the students started to fire off questions, shouting remarks that Naruto was lying and other incomprehensible declarations all at the same time. Iruka's forehead vein throbbed dangerously at all the aggravating noise and Naruto simply let his classmates do whatever as he had already expected such a big reaction to his words.

The biggest exception, though no one noticed, was one Uchiha Sasuke who had gone completely still at this highly unexpected news. He had almost stopped breathing in his shock at what he just heard. The dead-last, the one he tried his best to ignore every day, was the one who knew and was close with the only other living Uchiha that he wanted to meet.

Still unsure of how to proceed when it came to his new-found clan fellow member, Sasuke decided to continue to silently watch the proceedings. He was sure that he would find more information that way. After all, everyone knew that Naruto wasn't one who was able to keep secrets; he even admitted to his own pranks, eventually, without much coaching from Iruka-sensei.

''BE QUIET!''

The Big Head jutsu suddenly made an appearance and everyone quieted down at once, though many still muttered under their breath. Another glare from the teacher for good measure and even those shut up completely. Despite appearances, Iruka-sensei was a ruthless taskmaster when he wanted to and not one of his students wished for that upon themselves.

Students properly cowed, the teacher finally reached for the offered scroll that Naruto was still holding.

''Ah!,'' the blond boy suddenly remembered. ''Nee-chan said that you should read the letter quickly. Or else you'll get a 'nasty shock Uzumaki-style'.''

Iruka, who had just minutely relaxed as he started to open the scroll, promptly tensed anew. That was an ominous warning, if he had ever one. In his vast experience dealing with Naruto, anything 'Uzumaki-style' wasn't something to be taken lightly. The results could range from humiliating, annoying, awkward, uncomfortable, and all other manners of unpleasant feelings. Somehow, he was sure that Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki, despite seemingly be a proper and highly regarded lady as far as he had heard, could be equally playful and ruthless when she wanted to.

Despite the uneasy thoughts brewing in his mind, Iruka straightened the scroll and started to read.

''Dear Umino Iruka-sensei,

My name is Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki and from now on I'll be in charge of my nephew Naruto.

Firstly, I wish to thank you for taking care of him since he started at the Academy. Despite only very recently finding out his existence and his relation to me, Naruto is already a child very important to me and my son and I'll do everything in my power to protect him no matter what. Uzumaki's treasure their family above all else.

That said, the moment I met him, I was made aware of certain top-secret information by the Sandaime Hokage himself. Needless to say, I was far from impressed and pleased with what I heard and let the Hokage clearly know my opinions on this particular matter.

From what Naruto told me, you seem to be one of the very rare standing exceptions. You treat him fairly and with kindness. For that, you already have my genuine gratitude.

However, if that kind of behaviour is merely a deception towards some unknown purpose, or you consider my nephew as anything other than the innocent, young boy he is, or you think of even hurting him due to reasons absolutely out of his control, rest assured, I'll hunt you down myself and you won't live to see another day.

You can take this last sentence however you see fit. Please, also feel free to share this one-in-a-lifetime warning with your 'esteemed' colleagues. I'm aware of some of their less-than-appropriate deeds towards Naruto. I don't give second chances to anyone who intentionally hurts my family so be assured that if I ever hear of something similar happening in the Academy in the future, I'll use my full power as a Head Clan to make them pay. Thoroughly.

Now that this unpleasant point is settled and hopefully unnecessary to return to in the future between both of us, I'll proceed to the next reason of this letter.

Currently, Naruto doesn't have any school supplies. The fault for that it's not his own. Someone entered and broke into his home last night and destroyed everything in sight (the case is already being investigated). However, I'd appreciate it if you could prepare a complete list of the necessary supplies so I can purchase them at my earliest convenience. Also, for the time being, if you could lend him any possible material for class time at least, I'd be grateful.

Truly, I feel there is much more that needs to be discussed about Naruto's schooling so I'd like to have a meeting with you whenever you are available. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll retrieve Naruto at the end of the school day later today. At that time, if you could spare me a few moments to settle a meeting time, I'll appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki

Uzumaki Clan Head

Kurosawa Clan Head

P.S. This letter will self-destroy in five seconds; I'd let go of it if I were you. (Just a preview of what will happen to anyone who intentionally and unreasonably hurts my family. It's just an illusion, but rest assured that although the real Hell Fire is just as slow advancing, it's said to be as hot as the sun itself, a million times more excruciating than a simple Katon Jutsu and almost impossible to quench until its target is completely consumed.)''

Thorough the letter, Iruka had changed expressions and emotions several times.

At first, he had been pleasant surprised by the candid way that Namikaze-sama had spoken about Naruto and expressed her feelings about that particular topic. The fact that the Hokage had told her about the Kyuubi hadn't shocked him much. However, all that changed when the woman's speech made a completely one-eighty, from kind to palpably intimidating, and right-out threatened him if Iruka was anything less than honest in his treatment of the energetic blond boy.

The truth was that, before the Chunnin teacher had met him, he had been wary and had entertained some not-so-kind thoughts about the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. He had lost both his parents on that terrible day, becoming an orphan in the blink of an eye. Everyone around him had spouted nasty comments and other unpleasant things and, Iruka still being a kid at the time, had naturally believed them. So that was understandable that Iruka had been cautious when he first met Naruto. However, he soon came to realize that not everything was at it seemed and his opinions started to change.

Iruka really didn't have any hidden nefarious plans or ill-intentions towards Naruto. The boy was mischievous, played too many pranks, frequently skipped classes and regularly gave him headaches. Despite all that, the teacher genuinely liked Naruto and had absolutely no intention of doing anything that the red-haired had implied. Even knowing all that, the Chunnin still gulped uneasily and felt a heavy feeling of dread cursing through his body as he read Namikaze-sama's blunt threats.

The information about Naruto's lack of school supplies and the reason for it had been another shock. He had never thought about it before, but somehow Iruka had the feeling that this time had not been the first that such had happened. There was no sure way to prove this suspicion without asking him directly, though. How many times had Naruto seemingly come to school empty-handed out of laziness or forgetfulness?

Yet, the warning of self-destruction had been the more shocking of all. To Iruka, the letter appeared to be just a regular one. There was no hidden chakra or visible seals anywhere in the scroll he could see – unbeknownst to almost everyone, the Chunnin was a fairly skilled chakra-sensor. Despite that, his instincts were screaming at him to let go of the paper when, clearly out of nowhere, there was a starting countdown at the end of the letter.

He looked around trying to quickly decide what he should do. He wanted to believe the woman's word about it being only an illusion, but with so many kids in the room he couldn't take any chances. And what the heck was exactly Hell Fire anyway?

The entire class was looking at their sensei with varied levels of interest, Naruto almost bouncing in excitement to see what his nee-chan had done to the letter. The man's expressions in the last minutes had been amusing to everyone watching. They were curious what would happen next when Iruka clutched at and looked at the scroll as if it was a grenade about to explode.

Before the number one appeared in the letter, Iruka threw it upwards and away from him and his students and waited for the inevitable to happen.

Without a sound or any other warning, the airborne scroll seemed to stop mid-air, hovering, and, in clear view of everyone present, started to burn with a lazy, albeit ominous-looking, inky-black flame.

Everyone froze at the spectacular sight, gaping and speechless; no one had ever seen anything like it before, not even Iruka. Not to mention, how on earth was the paper just floating there?

''Awesome!'', Naruto cried out in delight as soon as he recovered, his eyes not leaving the slowly burning scroll. ''Isn't my nee-chan great, sensei?'', he added to his teacher who was busy attempting to break the perceived Genjustu without success.

After a couple times, Iruka gave up. He still didn't sense any chakra coming from the letter. There was no heat or anything else coming from it, either. For all intents and purposes, it really seemed to be an illusion – a highly, impossible to dissolve illusion.

''Sensei, what is that fire?'', one of the students asked, finally regaining their bearings.

''Yeah! I've never seen black fire before.''

Similar comments and questions ran through the classroom as the kids sat there astounded by that impressive sight. After a few more seconds, the mysterious black flames silently disappeared leaving nothing behind. Not even ashes.

Seeing the show was finished, Naruto trudged up to his habitual seat besides his two classmates, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji. The first was shockingly paying attention to what was happening in the classroom instead of just sleeping the morning away and the second resumed his usual chips munching after he had momentarily stopped to watch the strange black flames in awe.

Inconspicuously sighing in relief, because if he was honest with himself that was a truly terrifying sight – if what Namikaze-sama said about it was entirely true, that type of attack was practically unstoppable – Iruka easily replied to his students' eager queries, deciding that was alright to tell that much to impressionable, ninja-in-training.

''Namikaze-sama called it 'Hell Fire'. This display was only an illusion, though.''

One Uchiha Sasuke minutely widened his eyes at that, his mind working furiously.

He had once read something about a very rare, high-level, Sharingan-only technique in one of the many scrolls in his compound's library. The passage hadn't been much detailed, however, he remembered that this particular jutsu was considered to be the highest level of Fire Release, had black flames, needed huge amounts of chakra to pull off, and was well-nigh unstoppable. It was also practically believed to be a myth, due to the fact there had been no one in the clan in almost one hundred years that could successfully use the jutsu.

Just who is this woman with enough power and knowledge to use this technique in any way, which should be possible with the Sharingan only, almost as if it's nothing?, he wondered with well-hidden awe and suspicion, becoming more curious by the second. He really needed some kind of working plan and fast.

''But, sensei, if that was an illusion, why couldn't you dispel it like a normal Genjustu?'', Haruno Sakura, one of the best students in class reasonably asked with a frown.

''It's true that most Genjustu can be dispelled by disrupting one's flow of chakra enough,'' Iruka-sensei explained in his best lecturer tone. ''However, there are particular cases that it's not the case…''

Back in his groove, the Chunnin eventually relaxed some, careful to keep in mind the warnings from Namikaze-sama. He didn't know what good it would do in the long run, but he would warn his colleagues at least once of what could happen if they tried to do something untoward to Naruto. After that, he'd let them to choose their own fate.

The seemingly proper lady was ruthless alright. Her forewarnings had been loud and clear. Iruka almost pitied the poor soul who made an enemy out of her.


	18. Chapter 17 - The predator becomes prey

Hello! Here is another chapter for you!

Firstly, is there anyone interested in doing some **fanart** for this story? I'd really like to have some. Just imagining a picture of cute Ichigo is enough to make me melt.

Thank you as always for all the reviews, favs and follows, I'm really happy that this story has gotten such a great reaction. Something I've never had thought possible, honestly. It feels absolutely great to know that what we, authors, do as a hobby and mostly to our own pleasure (at least in my case) is so well received by numerous people all around the world. Seriously thank you, everyone.

WARNINGS: In this chapter, there are mature, dark themes involved. There are slight and elusive mentions of sexual assault and other unpleasant things. It's all vague, but if you have trouble with this issue, please proceed with caution.

As always, please let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

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''Sometimes we're all pushed to do things we thought we could never do.'' - Mary E. Pearson

''The easiest prey any predator could wish for is a mind controlled human.'' - Jameel Jalaludeen

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CHAPTER 17 – The predator becomes the prey

After fifteen minutes of business-strictly discussion, the Mistress of Death had to give it to the man. Fujita-san seemed to be a brilliant actor, never once faltering in his words or actions. If she hadn't seen that offending look furtively on his face several more times, subtly running up and down her body, she could _almost_ convince herself that she was being paranoid.

Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki wasn't a gullible and trusting woman, however, and she was surer with each passing minute that she was right to be wary of the manager. The urge to simultaneously cover herself up, get away from him and curse the man excruciatingly was getting stronger as well. She persevered, though; she wouldn't give Fujita the satisfaction of knowing that he was making her uncomfortable. This only served to give her more incentive to find out what was really going through the sleazy man's head.

Frustrated and tired of fruitless results so far, the young witch had been trying for the last five minutes to catch and hold the man's gaze to perform full-out Legilimency without being up-front about it. She still hadn't much luck, though; Fujita seemed to be as slippery as a snake, as he professionally carried on, bluntly informing her of the building's owner, Ishikawa-san's, inflexible requirements to sell his property.

Apparently, the old man wouldn't lower the selling price by even a single Ryou, despite the building already being on the market for over a year. Naturally, there had been a few offers during that time, though all of them had been lower than the asked price and thus promptly rejected with no exception. Not having any trouble paying the exact amount demanded, the Uzumaki Can Head was swift to confirm that she would pay in full and in that same day even, if all the paperwork and everything else were taken care of as soon as possible.

At any rate, despite she'd still been unable to properly enter Fuijta's mind, Tsubaki had already heard some disconnected sentences of his superficial thoughts, which she was currently attempting to make sense of, while seemingly giving her full attention to the paperwork the man was preparing in front of her. This man's mind was one of the hardest she had ever tried to read. Usually, even with passive Legilimency, Tsubaki was able to easily get a fair understanding of her target's superficial thoughts. In this case, though, the man's mind was not unlike a badly tuned radio that only allowed her to hear random fragments of what was currently running through his head. She was unsure if that was simply due to strong, natural, mental defences or if some kind of seal explicitly made to counter mental intrusions was at work here (not unlike the one in the blank-masked shinobi who had followed her the other day, though in this case the quality of the seal seemed to be vastly inferior), which if it was that second reason, only served to point out that the man had indeed something important to hide.

After not an inconsiderable amount of frustration-filled minutes, Tsubaki knew she had finally hit the jackpot when she caught a highly suspicious, disjointed thought running through the manager's mind just as another subtle, leering look crossed his face.

 _'… Pity, can't… Orochimaru-sama… waiting…'_

Tsubaki fought hard against reacting outwardly as the various possible meanings of that fragmented sentence ran rampant through her mind. That was it. The undeniable clue she had been searching for and she had never expected that would have to do with Orochimaru of all people.

If there was something that got a reaction of the unnaturally impassive Higher Entity universally known as Death was the mention of the existence of mortals who had somehow attained some kind of immortality. It was like a direct insult to It, Death had told her not long ago when Tsubaki had asked out of curiosity if there was currently someone in this world who was temporarily succeeding in escaping Its merciless, all-reaching grasp. To even think that a lowly mortal could, even briefly, ever best – single-handedly at that – one of the most powerful and ancient Immortal Entities of all Creation was tantamount to the worst sin one could ever commit against Death.

That was the first time Tsubaki had been genuinely and absolutely terrified of Death. The loathing It had for such 'insolent creatures' was a highly disturbing and frightening thing, if the utter shifting of the very air around Tsubaki at the time was any indication, making her recently obtained own 'Death's Aura' pale in comparison in the face of the sheer power of Death's emotions, which in turn gave her a fair amount of immunity to similar psychological manipulations such as the 'Killing Intent' employed by ninja. She thanked the Heavens and every deity and god alike that Death was usually a very emotionally-detached being as she was sure her heart would be unable to bear it for long periods of time.

After the heart-stopping moment had passed, Death had grudgingly and sourly confirmed that indeed there were currently a few who fulfilled the stipulations for the so-called immortality. One of those mentioned had been the infamous Orochimaru of the Sannin, an S-Ranked missing ninja from Konoha, gone rogue over a decade previously.

Death hadn't gone into much detail, and Tsubaki had later appreciated it, she had felt sick enough with only knowing the bare bones. The man – if he even could be considered a man any more – had committed countless inexcusable and unspeakable deeds upon deeds against children, women and men alike, all in the name of power, knowledge and immortality. There was seemingly no boundary in existence that he wouldn't cross with his sordid experiments and wicked plans against his enemies and the world in general.

When she had recovered a bit, the young witch had uneasily tried to lighten up the mood a bit by stating, if a bit morbidly, that, all things considered, Voldemort _almost_ seemed to be a straightforward human compared to Orochimaru; even if they shared an unsettling fixation for snakes in general. In its – thankfully, once more – impassive tone, Death had easily agreed to that commentary, pointing out offhandedly that the Snake Sannin was and could be much more dangerous than the Dark Lord had ever been, mainly due to the simple fact that, despite embodying the mad scientist persona to a T, Orochimaru still retained a fair amount of sanity (compared to Voldemort, at least) and thus was able to think mostly rationally and achieve much more than Tom Riddle had ever dreamt of.

This last statement had left Tsubaki out of sorts for a long while, unwillingly imagining what Voldemort could have accomplished if he hadn't destroyed his soul and consequently his mind in his quest for immortality. She shuddered just thinking about 'what ifs'.

Anyway, for the relatively little that Tsubaki knew of Orochimaru, she didn't doubt that many (if not all) of the probabilities running through her mind at the moment were within the realm of possibility.

There was something else that she had already previously wondered when she first learned of the Snake Sannin's existence and his unpardonable deeds: the kidnapping of the illegitimate nephew of the Daimyo of the Land of the Fire and the other children from Konoha. Did it have any relation with Orochimaru? At first glance, it had seemed very likely. She had tried to be all crafty-like and nonchalantly ask Death some roundabout questions about that but, as expected, she had failed rather spectacularly as the immortal Entity had seen right through her and refused to answer anything about that subject, simply pointing out that it was her job to find that particular answer.

(She absolutely hadn't pouted sullenly at that, definitely not. Anyone who suggested otherwise was just asking to be painfully and permanently hexed to kingdom come.)

Needing more intel than what she had at the moment, Tsubaki quickly planned her future steps, now that she got enough evidence to, at least, appease the sporadic emerging of what she had labelled her Gryffindor Conscience years ago and its beyond annoying, nagging voice in the back of her mind (which sounded awfully like Hermione's on lecture mode).

Tsubaki was alone with her prey… err, target, so she was fairly free to just dive in into the man's mind – who was currently filling paperwork, occasionally pausing to ask her a pertinent question, and completely unaware of what was to come – and retrieve exactly what she needed. As long as neither of them started to make suspicious noises, she was fairly certain that they wouldn't be disturbed for the time being. She was aware that Kakashi had particular sharp hearing, even for a ninja, so she had to be careful, nevertheless.

After that, she would decide what would happen next, depending of what she found, though she somehow doubted the man would escape scot-free.

Sending a soundless _Petrificus Totalus_ and a _Silencio_ at Fujita in quick succession with barely a move of fingers in the man's direction, shortly after that she casted an obscure spell (found in the Black Library, interestingly enough) that was basically repeating over and over a sound sequence until cancelled by the caster – which in this case, was the barely heard sound of scrolls shifting around on the desk and the pen writing steadily (which she had just recorded a minute previously) – and she hoped that would be enough to trick Kakashi's supernatural hearing for a while.

Then, satisfied and hopeful that they'd remain undisturbed, Tsubaki didn't lose any more time to enter the man's mind and unveil its secrets.

What she saw was frankly shocking, disturbing, revolting and all around horrible.

Her instincts had been right all along and the man was clearly far from the weak and harmless civilian man he was portraying to be.

Fujita Tarou, currently aged 27, had once been a ninja, thus being much more lethal than the average civilian could ever attempt to be. His grades and overall skills at the Academy had been average and the pattern continued when out in the field. He had been in a Genin team with two other similar civilian raised kids, led by a member of the Akimichi Clan (that year's Team 4), for about three years before he had permanently resigned from the Shinobi force. This decision had been due to an apparent traumatic C-Ranked mission gone wrong where the Jounin-sensei and Tarou had barely escaped alive, the older man forced to retire soon after, due to the severity of his injuries. The other male Genin had been basically tortured and killed on the spot in front of his teammates by unaffiliated ninja and the only girl on the team had been abducted for unknown reasons and declared MIA ever since. Till this day, she hadn't still been found nor there had been any kind of information about her possibly survival.

That, at least, had been the official events of that fateful day. The truth was much more disturbing, however.

Apparently, Fujita had been following Orochimaru's orders even before he had made Genin. The boy, at the time, had been secretly first scouted by one of the Sannin's many underlings, ostensibly due to his above average chakra control and a rather unreserved fascination and knowledge of anything related to poisons. As the boy was civilian raised with only a mother working long hours to support the household, thus forcing him to spend long periods of time by himself, Orochimaru himself had easily snagged the impressionable boy's loyalty with a few promises of power and freedom to create and test new poisons and other less-than-legal substances on an vast supply of victims, playing right into the boy's personal pursuits.

Needless to say, Fujita Tarou had been a true follower after that 'generous' offer and not once wavered from that path ever since.

The mission that had abolished Team 4 had actually been thwarted by one of Orochimaru's many clandestine teams. The infamous Sannin had still been in Konoha at the time, though he had already been thinking on leaving the village for a while, as that had been right after Namikaze Minato had been selected as the Yondaime Hokage much to the Snake Sannin's ire and disgust. Fujita had recently informed his secret master that his female teammate appeared to be developing some unknown, albeit highly interesting skill, though he wasn't sure if it was some kind of new _kekkai gekai_ or something else altogether. Unexpectedly, the Sannin had been beyond curious in that interesting titbit and had arranged for a way to have what he deemed should be his securely in his clutches.

Shortly after that, Orochimaru had left Konoha, leaving Fujita and many others, in similar situations such as his, behind with express orders to spy and lie low, thus becoming the Snake Sannin's sleeper agents within the unsuspecting ninja village.

After his shinobi retirement, Fujita had easily decided to work on the Real State business. From what Tsubaki could find, the man used this public façade to freely move about the village without raising suspicion and even occasionally travelled to other villages and countries, all under the guise of visiting prospective properties to sell.

Occasionally during those instances, the manager would even execute some kind of mission ordered by Orochimaru – mainly it was just passing some kind of information to other spies –, though it wasn't often, the Sannin not wanting him to raise more suspicion than absolutely necessary.

It was during one of those 'business trips' that he had commissioned a secret seal from a Kumo missing-nin. He had become fearful that someday he might be caught and decided to take pre-emptive measures. Fujita was aware that the shinobi's Fuuinjutsu was light years from a Sealing Master's work, but the stranger had been the best option Fujita had had at the time. It would be beyond suspicious if an allegedly civilian asked any affiliated ninja for such a complex seal applied to his own head. As long as they were a village not allied to Konoha, he probably wouldn't have much to worry about. However, Orochimaru had ordered him to lay low and not raise any suspicious and he dutifully followed his master's commands as much as he could.

As far as Fujita was aware, his disguise still held true after all these years. Everyone who knew Fujita personally or professionally in Konoha had never showed any kind of sign that they suspected him to be something other than he portrayed to be.

Tsubaki wasn't sure if she was disappointed or not that, apparently, the children's kidnappings didn't have anything to do with Orochimaru as far as Fujita knew. On one side, she was glad that the kids weren't suffering through unspeakable experiments or whatever other atrocious tortures the mad Sannin decided to practise on innocent people. On the other, however, there was the fact that, if that was the case, then there was the high probability of someone else existing out there who could be as much as wicked or even worse than Orochimaru. After all, these kidnappings had hardly happened for a decent and properly reasonable purpose, in Tsubaki's view.

Despite not having found any connection between Fujita and the kidnappings that she had been asked to investigate, that didn't mean that Tsubaki didn't uncovered anything to cause major alarm and prosecute the man for. Far from it, actually. She had to exercise all her mental power against violently leave the man's mind and kill him on the spot. Slowly, excruciatingly and mercilessly.

It seemed that Orochimaru was already aware of Namikaze Tsubaki's presence in Konoha as was well informed of her particular medical skills. How did he came about this piece of Intel, Fujita didn't know and didn't really care either. He was also mostly unaware of his master's precise plans concerning her, but from what she could uncover, the Snake Sannin was preparing something to test her skills. The only direct order Fujita currently had was to pass any useful and remarkable information to one of his fellow spies he came across and avoid direct contact with the Uzumaki Clan Head as much as possible to elude any kind of special attention upon his person from her bodyguards and the rest of the Shinobi Force.

Well, that particular order had been rendered as good as useless now.

It explained Fujita's disjointed thought that the young witch had caught on earlier. Orochimaru was waiting for the results of whatever test he had prepared for her and the manager was forbidden of doing anything that could jeopardize his dangerous position.

That bit of information should have alarmed or, at least, made Tsubaki uneasy. However, she was already so used to being targeted by evil maniacs that this barely fazed her. Not to say, that she wouldn't be careful and alert as always. Frankly, there was not much more she could do at this point. Closing herself and the kids permanently inside the house was naturally out of question – she had never, nor would ever, allow fear to rule her daily life –, so she had to take whatever happened, one way or other, and make the best of it.

Really, it was practically the Girl-Who-Lived's _Modus Operandi_ since she had started at Hogwarts and she didn't see it change anytime soon. Usually, her long time, carefully laid plans (as rare as they were) had a way of always go up in smoke, often failing so spectacularly that she didn't even know how that happened. Only one of the many instances of her Potter Luck occurred to its full power. Overall, though, she acknowledged that it could be worse so she was a true follower of the motto: _if it ain't broke, don't fix it._

Still, that wasn't really what was making her feeling beyond homicidal and vicious at the moment. No, the man's unforgivable crime was something else altogether. The former Girl-Who-Lived was feeling rather sick and any and all doubt against allowing the man to go free was entirely and abruptly crushed.

It was during those occasions away from Konoha's prying eyes, that Fujita let go of his iron-clad control over his painstakingly hidden, less-than-legal 'hobbies' and acted upon and relished in his perverse interests.

To put it simple, Fujita appeared to have some twisted, sickening and all-around revolting views towards women in general and their 'rightful place' compared to men, though he was rather successful in completely concealing his opinions most of the time. Alas, Tsubaki seemed to be exactly his 'type'. _Young, attractive and with delusions of grandeur,_ had been his first thought upon laying hungry eyes on her. The almost unstoppable urge to 'put her in her place' had immediately followed. Orochimaru's orders had been the only thing to hold back Fujita to follow his perverse impulses.

There had been some slip-ups, however, as the witch easily found them in the man's mind. The level of disgust she was feeling towards him impossibly increased to new highs when she observed one of these particular instances, ultimately making her feel simultaneously nauseous, livid and murderous. Despite her understandable, personal feelings through watching all those unspeakable images, she was able to notice that Fujita had always employed the same _Modus Operandi_.

The vey one Tsubaki promptly decided to use in the inescapable trap she was currently mentally building in a way that the man could be quickly apprehended by Kakashi, and therefore ANBU, without her having to confess to her less-than-honourable and far from law-abiding deeds. The fact that she wouldn't need to answer unnecessary questions didn't hurt either.

In any other situation, Tsubaki would more than likely hesitate in what she was preparing herself to do. Despite having changed much from her Gryffindor, school-time days, she still considered herself mostly a good person most of the time. Granted, her actions as of late pointed to the contrary. In her eyes, those had been always justified one way or another – to protect her precious people, she was prepared to do absolutely anything.

In this particular case, Fujita hadn't done anything truly illicit to her (the leering looks in her direction and the current, less-than-pleasant thoughts were not enough to grant such a harsh treatment, even though she was far from thrilled and comfortable in his presence), however it was her indisputable belief that her upcoming actions would save the women of this world from one dangerous sexual predator. And that was all the reason Tsubaki really needed to shup up the annoying Gryffindor voice in the back of her mind that had irritatingly and condescendingly pointed out that if she did this, she would be as bad as one of the Death Eaters. She squashed it ruthlessly as her determination hardened. There was no place for Gryffindor righteous pride in this situation, at all. She would willingly become a villain if necessary to save someone else.

After confirming some last details, the Mistress of Death roughly and painfully exited Fuijta's mind, mentally preparing herself for her upcoming act as unwilling victim in a sexual predator's sickening, criminal game.

'' _Imperio.''_

The Azkaban one-way-ticket-worthy curse was silently mouthed without any hesitation by the former Saviour of the Wizarding World as soon as she recovered her bearings on the outside world. Thankfully, she only needed to mentally order the man to do her bidding instead of talking out loud. With another twitch of fingers, she cancelled the recorder charm and waited for what was to come.

''Oh, Namikaze-sama, how rude of me,'' Fujita started to politely say as instructed, his voice ostensibly too loud in the previously, completely silent office. His tone conveyed an earnest self-reproach he didn't feel in the slightest, his eyes were marginally glossed over and his posture was somewhat stiff. Anyone with a keen eye would notice right away that there was something wrong with the man. ''I apologize profusely. I completely forgot to offer some refreshments before we started! Would you care for some tea?'', he offered as he got from his seat. ''There's green, black or jasmine tea.''

''Oh, no, thank you,'' the woman graciously refused the offer, even as her eyes gleamed with barely disguised loathing. ''I've just had breakfast.''

''No, no, please, I insist!,'' the man cajoled, moving their act along. ''The tea leaves I currently have are of the highest quality and I would be very pleased if you could taste them, Namikaze-sama.''

''Oh, alright, then. I'll take a cup of green tea, thank you,'' Tsubaki replied amiably if a bit uncertainly, with just the barely there hint of uneasiness, after she seemingly took a couple of seconds to decide on her drinking choice. She had to seem like she wasn't thirsty at all for her plan to work successfully.

''An excellent choice, Namikaze-sama,'' the manager was quick to approve, as he reached a side table on the corner of the room and busy himself with the tea's preparation. ''Whenever I have the time, I prefer to brew it myself,'' he explained cordially, his back mostly towards his client, neatly hiding what his hands were doing. He chattered on. ''Ever since I had my first taste of tea harvested and brewed at Tea Country, I knew I was ruined to any other kind. In fact, all three of them had been directly ordered from there as well. They are simply the best.''

''Being born and raised in Tea Country, I have to wholeheartedly agree with you,'' Tsubaki stated genially, keeping up to the charade. Inwardly though, having to behave and talk in such a cordial manner to that repulsive man, was making her even more nauseous. Thankfully, her acting skills were holding rather well if she said so herself.

She had discovered that Fujita's standard criminal act towards unsuspecting women was a fairly simple but quite effective one. With only a few drops of a chemical of his own creation in any drink – and sometimes a C-ranked Genjustu when the woman failed to take it on her volition – he easily gained control of any of his victims without anyone else being the wiser.

Tsubaki was appalled and disgusted to discover that that particular concoction was something very similar to the Unforgivable Curse that she had just casted on Fujita, though it worked more like a subtle yet strong compulsion, instead of allowing the person being outright controlled without any influence of their own. In fact, the drug was almost just as effective and didn't have visible side-effects – unlike the Imperius Curse. The only 'downside' was that it only lasted for two hours and anyone could compel the victim as well as, unlike the dark curse, this concoction simply left the drinker's mind easily susceptible to any and all kinds of outside suggestions.

Luckily for her, the man did have a small bottle of that particular drug currently hidden in a secret compartment under the tea table, so the first step in Tsubaki's wicked plan was rather easy to accomplish. As a matter-of-fact, Fujita's current actions were mirroring a past memory unearthed by Tsubaki, in this very office. He had actually done exactly the same things, up to their conversation's subject, around two years previously to a prospective client, who had just moved to Konoha. The lady had been young, beautiful, wealthy and, most importantly, alone. Unexpectedly, she had been easy pickings for someone like him. The poor woman had never stood a chance.

If she hadn't been looking for it, Tsubaki would have absolutely missed it, the way the manager so inconspicuously dropped the drug into her teacup, never pausing in the movements that in any other situation she would consider graceful and appealing – there was just something about the action of preparing tea, when done properly, that she found mesmerizing.

Finally finished with the tea preparation, the manager returned to the desk with a tray laden with teacups, silently offering her one of them before he took the other.

Even after over a month in the Elemental Nations, Tsubaki wasn't still much of fan of drinking any kind of tea without at least sugar. The first time she had requested milk and sugar with her black tea, the palace attendant had been emphatically horrified at such request, not even bothering to keep her usual blank, polite face. The wife's Daimyo had been with her at the time and had worn a similar expression for a quick second before she recovered her previously serene features. Apparently, she had just committed some kind of massive _faux-pas_.

After that highly embarrassing event, Tsubaki had learnt to just drink her tea straight when in public, without grimacing as much as possible and trying to enjoy it nonetheless. It was still a work in progress, though.

The minutes passed and they both continued to fill in the paperwork (there was no way that Tsubaki would be spending more time than necessary around bureaucracies than she had to, so she would milk this situation for all its worth, even if the man would be ultimately arrested soon enough, everything was still legitimate).

Gradually, Fujita seemingly became more and more frustrated that she hadn't still taken even a sip of her tea, until, finally he decided (or Tsubaki did, rather) to cast the C-ranked Genjustu that he had in his arsenal (which he had trained exhaustively until he could do it without hand-seals) just for that purpose. If it worked properly, the target would feel subtly but gradually thirstier by the minute and would eventually drain her cup without a thought.

Genjustu, Tsubaki had learned, was a type of jutsu that controlled the chakra flow of one's cerebral nervous system, thus affecting their five senses. As she had no chakra to speak of, this type of attack was absolutely useless against the young witch. However, no one else knew that, naturally.

So, after she deemed enough time had passed so the jutsu could have taken effect, Tsubaki promptly burst into action, cutting off the curse. She simultaneously sent a simple _Confundus_ and a particularly brutal _Depulso_ towards the offending man, as a result ruthlessly shoving him against the wall behind him. Even if someone from the Yamanaka Clan entered the man's mind later on, they would have a very hard time make sense of what exactly had been through his head these last few minutes. She hoped they would attribute it to the harsh knocking of his head against the unforgiving plaster wall when she pushed him away. If she was lucky, he'd get a concussion out of it.

Throughout all this, her Killing Intent had emerged with a vengeance, shocking everyone in the Konoha Real State Agency as she screamed furiously.

''YOU SICK BASTARD!''

* * *

Leaning slightly against the far wall in the main office of the Real State Agency, Kakashi had been reading his ever-present literature as he paid half a mind to his surroundings and the current meeting between Tsubaki-san and the Realtor manager in the closed office nearby. The staff was going about their business barely paying them much attention, now that the famous sister of the Yondaime had left the room. He was pleased that there were no other visitors at the moment – less people to watch out for.

Small Ichigo was currently a few feet away from him, seated on one of the brown, leather couches explicitly there to be used by waiting prospective clients. Mamoru was seated on the floor with its huge black head resting on the kid's lap.

''What gets wetter the more it dries?'', he was reading out loud from his small book, though not too much that he was disturbing anyone's work. After he thought for a few seconds, he exclaimed, ''A towel, right?'', before he turned to the behemoth dog he called his best friend as if expecting him to agree.

Mamoru only tilted his head and looked at him in silence.

Ichigo turned the page and confirmed that, indeed, his answer was correct. (Each riddle's solution was imprinted on the following page. Kakashi was surprised that he never immediately went to see it when he was stumped in a particular difficult one.)

''Lives in winter, dies in summer, and grows with its root upwards. What is it?'', was the next riddle read out loud.

Ichigo thought hard for over a minute but still he couldn't find the answer. He even looked expectantly at the huge dog as if he expected it to have some clue. Obviously, no answer was forthcoming. It was clear that the boy was becoming frustrated, if his narrowed green eyes and pouting mouth was any indication.

Kakashi suppressed an amused snort. The book, _Riddles and Brain Teasers for Kids,_ had had the boy's attention for a while now and the Copy-Ninja was very impressed to note that Ichigo answered all of them right, even if some of them took a longer time than others.

''Do you know the answer, Kakashi-san?'', Ichigo asked at last, his determination to find the answer by himself going up in smoke.

He unleased the full power of the puppy dog's eyes on Kakashi – something that had never worked on the man before, he could affirm proudly. Somehow understanding his friend's predicament, Mamoru added its full, pleading gaze; though this one had nothing of 'puppy' on it. Shockingly, this combination was almost lethal in their effectiveness against the infamous Kakashi no Sharingan, who felt himself powerless under such scrutiny.

It was the first time the kid acknowledged him since they left the house that morning, not that Kakashi minded at all.

As a rule, Kakashi didn't want anything to do with kids of any age, especially Genin-aged ones – something the Sandaime Hokage fully disregarded no matter how many times the silver haired Jounin had stated so previously. The old man seemed to obtain some kind of twisted pleasure in making Kakashi uncomfortable and annoyed, all the while going on about some speech about the Will of Fire, the future generation and the fact that the infamous Copy-Nin was not getting any younger (he was only twenty-three, thank you very much). Kakashi knew better though. Sarutobi did it on purpose, even knowing that whichever team assigned to him was like ninety-nine percent certain to fail on their Genin Test. Sometimes, Kakashi idly wondered what passed through the old man's head when he did things like these.

''An icicle,'' the man simply provided with his trade-mark eye-smile, before returning to his own book, never showing any of his thoughts outwardly.

''Thank you!'', the kid said enthusiastically. His beaming smile was almost enough to blind Kakashi, it was so bright. In that moment, anyone could see the likeness between Ichigo and Naruto easily enough and even Tsubaki to a certain degree, though he had never seen the red-haired woman freely smiling like that. That expression had been fully Uzumaki. Though in all fairness, the black haired boy hadn't showed much of the reserved and sombre attitude that most all Uchiha were known for. As far as Kakashi knew, the obvious exception had been Obito and thus the Copy-Ninja felt himself warm up a little more to the youngest Uchiha.

Anyhow, Ichigo was surprisingly bearable to be around – with or without his mother there to keep him check. The Jounin didn't know if that was because the kid, much like Kakashi himself had been at that age, was seen as a prodigious child. Despite his cheerful personality and very talkative demeanour, which seemed to only increase when Naruto was around, the kid was usually unfailingly polite to adults in general.

If anything else, Kakashi thought that Tsubaki, despite being a single mother, had successfully managed to raise her son properly. Which was a very good thing, really, as Kakashi expected that there would be at least a few old-fashioned busybodies, mainly in the Council, who would use everything they could against Namikaze Tsubaki when they finally understood that their usual way of going about things politically didn't work at all on the mysterious red haired woman.

Thinking of his current mission's client, made Kakashi think about many other things that he didn't want to at the moment.

He knew that Tsubaki was waiting to hear his reason for not having been around his sensei's son in any way, shape or form all these years. She had said that much and he knew as well that the woman wouldn't wait for long. Despite of all the thoughts and emotions that this particular sore subject was bound to expose, Kakashi conceded that she had a right to know why her only nephew had only known a life of misery, loneliness and pain growing up.

Still, it wasn't something he considered easy to think about, not by a long shot, let alone tell another person – who was still practically a stranger to him – about. For one, Kakashi wasn't the type of man who would speak freely about his innermost feelings or even about himself in general. For other, deep down, he was aware that his beliefs and fears weren't strictly rational. The fact that the Jounin strongly believed that he, somehow, had caused the death of everyone who was ever precious to him in some way, and perhaps still would from now on as well, was something that he could admit, if only to himself deep down, that wasn't really the most logical theory out there. However, he had never claimed to be completely sane – no ninja really was.

Another thought that assaulted his over-active mind as the very pleasant vision he had witnessed that morning. Despite all his extensive experience and skill, Kakashi hadn't been able to fully supress his automatic reaction when he had first laid out eyes on what Tsubaki had been wearing.

To say that he had liked what he had seen, it would be a huge understatement.

The Jounin had idly thought the red haired woman was pretty and attractive before. Any ninja worth their headband first cataloguing their client, enemy or anyone else of importance to their current mission, would clinically noticed this details and many others and file them away for future reference. One never knows when such things could be useful in a fight or any other precarious situation.

Tsubaki's beauty was the understated kind. She didn't flaunt her female assets about, didn't seem to use make up or any kind of ostentatious jewellery. That was exactly the kind of women Kakashi liked best, even if he pretended otherwise. Despite what nearly everyone seemed to believe, the kinds of things written in the _Icha Icha Series_ didn't really appeal to him personally as a man. Those books were just a shield to protect him, another mask hiding him from the world, and a very effective one.

This day's outfit notwithstanding, Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki was in fact very simple lady for one in such a high political station. Even her personality somehow matched her looks. Most of the time, she was unpretentious, pleasant, kind and cheerful. There were others, however, that she could be as lethal as a Jounin and her character fitted those instances as well. Then she was all danger, ruthlessness and intensity.

The mysterious and frightening power that she surrounded herself with in those instants only helped make her seem even more deadly and Kakashi mercilessly ignored the pleasant chills that ran down his spine as his thoughts turned to recall those particular moments.

The silver haired ninja was just noticing that he had been on the same page without reading any of it for some time now, inwardly berating himself for being lost in his own mind, though part of his awareness had been doing his job properly – he could multitask, thank you very much – when the conversation between Tsubaki and the Realtor manager suddenly stopped before there was the unmistaken sound of a body thrown against a wall.

It seemed that no one else had heard it, but Kakashi wasn't paying attention to the staff anymore. He was already on the move.

With barely a thought and a light-speed hand seal, he made a Kage Bunshin to remain with Ichigo, before he burst in the office. At the same time, the terrifying feeling of a very powerful Killing Intent made itself known, making everyone aware that something unexpected and hostile was happening in that small office.

''YOU SICK BASTARD!'', was heard loud and clear by a shouting Namikaze Tsubaki, removing any leftover doubt, if there had still been any, that the building would soon be occupied with a full team of ANBU at the bare minimum and it seemed that their boss was in the thick of it.


	19. Chapter 18 - No one's fool

Hello, everyone! Here it is the next chapter.

Before reading, I'd like to remind you all that I have no beta and English isn't my first language. In fact, it's very rare that I use English in my daily life. I practically use it only to write fanfiction and read manga/anime and little else on the net. It's mostly self-taught beyond what I learned in High school so please understand that there's bound to mistakes that I simply don't catch or I am aware of when I proofread before posting.

Secondly, some people asked a few questions about the story. I won't answer them because that would be telling too much. Sorry.

Thirdly, there seems to be some confusion about the order of the events in the story so I made a rough timeline at the end of the chapter if you are interested. I hope that helps clear your confusion.

Lastly, I wrote down the values I used when converting gold to Ryous. I am aware they are in no way close to accurate so no complains, please.

* * *

Anyway, happy reading!''Lord, what fools these mortal be!'' – William Shakespeare

''Fools multiply when wise men are silent.'' – Nelson Mandela

* * *

CHAPTER 18 – No one's fool

As soon as Tsubaki had shouted in disgust and fury, her chair tumbling down and away in her haste to get up and away from her would-be assaulter, Kakashi was right there at her side fully alert and ready to take down whoever had attempted to hurt his client. His promptness was unnecessary, though; the only other occupant of the small office was visibly unconscious, unceremoniously sprawled on the floor.

The concentrated and crippling Killing Intent had vanished just as quickly as it had emerged. The woman didn't want to make the people nearby more uncomfortable than strictly necessary, seeing as they were civilians with little to no endurance against such hostile psychological attack. At any rate, the short bout of formidable KI had been more than enough to grab the attention of any ANBU team close by. She was sure they would arrive any moment now. Thankfully, she had thought ahead and one of the many protective charms she had cast on her small son had been one that somewhat protected him against any kind of psychological attack – aggressive or otherwise –, so she was fairly sure that Ichigo was quite unaffected to her KI if it was just a quick amount of it.

Ignoring the lifeless manager's body for the moment, deeming him currently harmless and therefore insignificant to the situation at hand, the Jounin catalogued his surroundings for a few seconds, not finding any other immediate threat.

''What happened?'', he finally asked, turning his attention towards the woman and making a show of minutely relaxing his fighting stance in an attempt at making his client relieve her current tense posture by some measure as well.

Tsubaki, still mindful of her victim role to play, appeared a little shaken by what had just occurred to her. Her fury and disgust were nothing but genuine, though. She answered the shinobi after she took a seemingly fortifying breath in an attempt to calm her still very fierce temper. She was not very successful.

''We were just finishing the paperwork, when out of nowhere he throws a Genjutsu at me,'' she explained, appearing baffled by this highly unexpected turn of events without overdoing it.

The Mistress of Death couldn't ever forget that her companion was a full-out experienced, veteran shinobi, who could, no doubt, suspect that there was something more to this story than what she was telling. There was really no helping it, though, and that was alright with her. However, without any kind of evidence to support any suspicion he might have, Kakashi really couldn't really do anything.

''A Genjustu?'', he questioned dubiously. Besides that, the man didn't show any other emotion on his face or voice. Whatever his thoughts about this unexpected situation, he wasn't sharing for the moment.

''I might not have had ninja training, Kakashi-san, but I do know a Genjutsu when I feel one thrown directly at me. I felt it take effect for a moment before I was successful breaking it,'' she replied with eerie green eyes flashing and enough bite to make the shinobi think better of following that particular line of thought.

Tsubaki usually didn't take too kindly to people who doubted her words and knowledge just because, at first glance, she appeared ignorant of what she was talking about. She had had enough of it when she had been Mia Potter. Besides, she was still feeling a bit more than a little unsettled about all the information she had just learned. She needed some time to assimilate it all properly. That and the strong urge to castrate, slowly and excruciatingly, the offending, unconscious man hadn't still abated in the slightest.

So to say that Tsubaki was currently not in the best of moods was putting it mildly.

Kakashi raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender to placate the infamous red-haired temper from escalating. Many times he had been the target of Kushina-nee-san's explosive temper and he had developed a healthy fear and respect of it. Being an Uzumaki, Tsubaki was bound to be the same in that aspect and the Copy-Ninja was sane enough to not want to be on the receiving end of it if he could help it.

''And what exactly was the intent of the Genjutsu?'', the silver-haired ninja wisely decided to move along his questioning, all previous doubt erased from his person's demeanour.

At that moment, Tsubaki sensed a full ANBU team step into the building and approach Kakashi's clone, which had remained in the main office to guard Ichigo. It was a strange feeling, she reckoned. She was aware that shadow clones (or any other kind of elemental clone, for that matter) were constructs entirely made out of chakra, so she shouldn't really be able to sense them through her usual way (by sensing souls). However as the clone was still part of the original, there was a connection between it (or them) and the user, thus making it possible for her to somewhat pinpoint their exact position even if the humanoid technique didn't possess a soul or anything close to that.

From what Tsubaki could determine, Ichigo seemed to be taking all the sudden commotion fairly calmly and for that the young mother was glad.

The little boy had stopped reading his book when Kakashi had made a clone and disappeared in the room where his mother was. The kid had just held onto Mamoru and waited to see what was happening. Not long after, there were masked shinobi in the building but the boy was not very worried. He knew he wasn't in danger. His best friend would protect Ichigo no matter what and at the moment the huge dog appeared reasonably calm in the face of all the current goings-on inside the Real Estate office.

Mamoru had lowly growled for a moment when Tsubaki's KI had spiked briefly but had made no move to leave its small charge. The grim knew that its first priority was Ichigo and as long as its master didn't order it otherwise, no one would be able to take him away from his friend. Besides, it didn't sense any ill intent from the newcomers towards the boy. Also, the silver-haired shinobi, who the dog came to trust somewhat, seemed fairly calm in their presence, so it reckoned there was no immediate danger. That didn't mean, however, that Mamoru wasn't paying close attention to everything around them and remained alert if it had to attack or defend Ichigo in a moment's notice.

''I'm not sure what was the full intent of it as I dispelled it too quickly to be really sure, but from what I could gather, it was making me feel increasingly thirsty. I suspect that he wanted me to drink the tea,'' she waved with a careless hand towards the innocent teacup still seating there on the desktop (she had made sure to be careful to not spill it when she had gotten up from her seat). ''Due to that, I reckon that it isn't really a stretch to presume that he had put something extra in it, don't you think? After all, he was quite insistent that I accept a cup of tea. Besides, all through the meeting, he didn't stop looking at me very inappropriately. I've seen enough of those looks in my life to practically know what he was thinking of and I can assure you that they had nothing of proper or pleasant about it.''

Tsubaki believed that that was enough for any man with half a brain to understand what she was getting at, without having to spell it out. Besides, she wasn't about to accuse the manager of other wrong-doings, beyond implying that he had drugged her drink and cast a Genjutsu with nefarious intentions against her person. She hadn't the evidence for it, for one, and she didn't wish to raise more suspicions against her than strictly necessary. It wouldn't do to let the shinobi know that she knew more about her would-be assaulter than she let on. It was bad enough that Orochimaru already knew more about her and her skills than it should be possible. She had found a few other sleeper agents in the village in Fujita's memories but the woman was sure that they weren't all of them. Despite his many flaws, the Snake Sannin was certainly smarter than to 'put all his eggs in the same basket', so to speak.

It was more than enough, though, for Fujita to be promptly arrested by ANBU and sent to the T&I department for questioning. After all, the manager had just attacked a Clan Head out of nowhere and that was a big no-no in a ninja village, especially Konoha, which held the Ninja Clans in very high regards.

Without a word, Kakashi approached the desk and eyed the innocuous teacup for a heartbeat, before carefully reaching for it and taking a cautionary whiff. A couple of seconds later, he trained his lone eye on her, as he lowered the blaming evidence a few inches away from his face.

''You're right,'' he stated finally. ''It does, indeed, appear to be something added to this tea, though I am unable to say what it exactly is.''

''I think it's safe to say that whatever it is, it's nothing good or even legal,'' Tsubaki commented drily with a meaningful look.

After that, Kakashi called in the ANBU team that had been patiently waiting on the other side of the threshold of the office door. They had heard the entire conversation but, seemingly, had decided to let the former ANBU Capitan take the lead on the proceedings with the already very famous Uzumaki Clan Head. They were a different group from the one who had accosted Tsubaki at the children's park two days before. She was fairly certain, however, that they had already heard about what had exactly occurred at that time and what she had said when their comrades had been sent to inform her that the Civilian Council was summoning her.

After a few short and concise sentences exchanged between the Uzumaki Clan Head and Cat-san – the apparent leader of this ANBU team, who was clearly a female –, one masked shinobi carefully collected the tainted tea and another checked up on the manager out cold sprawled on the floor to confirm that he was indeed alive and in no need of urgent need of medical attention, Kakashi took over from there and Tsubaki went to look for her son. There wasn't much she could tell them about what had happened. Fujita would have to regain consciousness first and be properly questioned before anything else could be done regarding this situation.

Ichigo was still seated on the same couch where she had left him before the start of her meeting, Mamoru faithfully at the boy's side, calm yet still alert to everything around them. Tsubaki thanked Kakashi's clone before dismissing him as she sat on the couch and gathered her son in her lap to cuddle for a few moments. She still marvelled that the boy's simple presence in her arms was able to calm her down like nothing else could ever do. The brimming affection and all-round soothing warmth that flowed through her every time she held him close would never get old, she inwardly reckoned in amazement.

The office staff had stopped working and was visibly curious about what had happened with their boss to have the ANBU descending upon the place like a bunch of hungry vultures. No one was brave enough to come right out and ask the Yondaime's sister, though, as the woman's glare was downright nerve-wracking every time she looked their way. They preferred to look wonderingly from the other side of the large room where their work stations were located as they, not so subtly, whispered to each other, speculating about what their manager could have possibly done in less than half an hour to incur the wrath of such powerful individuals. Tsubaki idly noted that not one of them seemed much worried about their boss' near future under the 'tender care' of some of Konoha's best.

After she calmed substantially down, Tsubaki decided to make really sure that the paperwork already filled was still properly legitimate despite of who had written it. Thankfully, the older lady she asked this – Yamazaki-san was her name – was able to be suitably professional despite everything else going on and the fact she had just been gossiping with her fellow colleagues not even a minute previously. After the Realtor lady had hesitantly stepped into the manager's office to retrieve the necessary documents (the shinobi had still been there), she carefully read through them and put her doubts to rest, confirming that indeed everything was legally valid. Tsubaki only needed to make the appropriate payment as she had stated that she wished to obtain the property's ownership as soon as possible. No matter where or when, it seemed that an extra amount of money would always help move things quicker along than ordinary, if one did know how to go about it.

Fortunately, the young witch had had the foresight of opening a bank account when she had first arrived at the Capital, making sure there was a branch of the same bank in Konoha. It had been a surprisingly unnerving task, she admitted to herself. The person in charge had been openly gaping in sheer disbelief when she had showed him the several gold bars she had retrieved from her trusty bag. Despite having many more where those had come from, Tsubaki had only exchanged five of them for actual Ryou that time. She had determined that this amount would be surely more than enough to start her plans. She would convert a few more bars later if or when she needed more money.

As it was, the converted worth in Ryou had been utterly ludicrous by anyone's standards. Who knew that gold was so valuable in this world?

(Five gold bars had been valued around 9.375.000 galleons (or 1.875.000£) by the Goblins when she had withdrawn half of her vast wealth from Gringotts. This particular amount didn't even come any close to make a dent in the current available fortune secreted away in her bottomless bag.

As it was, the Capital Bank manager had been hard pressed to convert the ridiculous total's worth within such a short notice. Thankfully, Tsubaki hadn't asked directly conversion in cash, because she highly doubted that any bank, rich daimyo or even the wealthiest business tycoon had 136 775 500 000 Ryou at their ready disposition.

The wide-eyed incredulity in the man's face hadn't quite left the entire time the red haired woman had been there. The manager hadn't outright stated it but she had suspected from the downright veneration he had bestowed upon her after the total's worth had been added up that Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki was one of their wealthiest clients, ever, in the whole Elemental Nations.)

She happily wrote down the check before branding it with the official, unique stamp authenticating her own identity for the building purchase and the bonus for a speeding business procedure and was told that as soon as the Agency received the confirmation from the Bank, the property would be hers. Yamazaki-san assured her that she would do her best so that Tsubaki would have the building's deeds and keys the following morning at the latest if no issue came up. The young witch was clearly pleased with that.

* * *

Despite the unforeseen and unpleasant setback, Tsubaki was still on time to her meeting with the Hokage.

As the group of three humans and one huge black beast approach the Hokage Tower, the Mistress of Death finally spoke up to Kakashi for the first time since she had left the man to deal with the ANBU in the lecherous manager's office.

''Kakashi-san, why don't you take the time that I will be busy with the Hokage to take care of the issue we talked about last evening at Naruto's apartment?'', she politely suggested, though they both knew it was more like a order than anything else.

She was carefully to be vague enough that no one would understand exactly what she was requesting. Ichigo was right there, listening curiously, not to mention they were in one of the most active streets of all Konoha. The place was as public as it could get at that time of the day. When he seemed about to object, Tsubaki quickly added pointedly.

''I'll be as safe as I'll ever be for the next couple of hours. I highly doubt there is anyone foolish enough to attempt anything hostile against me while I'm in Hokage-sama's office.'' The young Mistress of Death wisely refrained to point out that she was no harmless damsel in distress; she knew Kakashi would just ignore it and state that it was his upmost duty to safeguard Tsubaki and Ichigo despite her own undeniable ability to protect herself and her son.

Kakashi seemed to consider her words for a couple of seconds before he finally complied with her 'request'. It was really just for show, though. Both of them knew that the Elite Jounin had not much choice in the matter.

Therefore, the Copy Ninja escorted his charges all the way up to the floor where the Hokage's office was located before he left them in front of the Assistant's desk. The both of them had thoroughly ignored the no-so-subtle curious gazes of the many Chunnin and Jounin (and their ensuing gossip) the little group had passed by on the corridors and stairs on their way up. With a last request of calling for him if he still wasn't back before the end of the meeting, Kakashi raised his hand in a lazy farewell and eye-smiled before he disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves.

''Good-morning, Namikaze-sama,'' the female assistant greeted pleasantly after she abandoned her paperwork, giving the newcomers her full attention, ''you may go in. They are all already expecting you.''

''Thank you,'' she replied politely, even as she inwardly started to become annoyed.

Who the hell were _they_? She had sensed three people inside the Hokage's office (besides the permanent three shadow guards) but she hadn't paid any mind before, guessing that was some other meeting that was running late or something.

The Konoha Bylaws were rather clear in the fact that this particular kind of meeting between Clan Head and Hokage was strictly between both of them only. No outsiders were allowed, there were no exceptions to this. If the Hokage for even a moment believed that she was naïve, unaware of this village's laws and didn't know her rights as a Clan Head and would allow whoever they were in this meeting, the old man surely had another thing coming.

As these incensed thoughts brewed in her mind, Tsubaki adopted her hard-earned poker-face – which she had a few years ago labelled as her Slytherin Mask, because almost every Slytherin she ever had met had worn something similar many times in the Girl-Who-Lived's presence – and politely knocked on the office's door. Ichigo was silent at her side, previously patiently warned about what would happen in that office and that he was to be on his best behaviour (not that was really necessary, her son was a very well-mannered child and as long as he had something to entertain himself with, often a book, someone could almost forget that the boy was even in the room).

''Come in.''

As soon as the door was open enough to see inside the large office, Tsubaki's eyes searched for the interlopers. She was quick in finding them.

There were two of them as she had expected: a man and a woman, both of them belonging to the same generation as the Sandaime Hokage. In other words, they appeared to be older than sixty, and despite Tsubaki not knowing their identities, she had a good suspicion of whom they were. They couldn't be anyone else other than the notorious Hokage's advisors.

All three of them were seated around a round table on the opposite side of the room where the Hokage's desk – permanently overflowing with paperwork and writing utensils – was located. Unlike Sarutobi, who regarded her both with a hospitable face and with a mostly well-hidden look of apprehension in his eye, the uninvited duo observed the newcomer with stony faces and clearly assessing looks.

''Good morning, Tsubaki-san, Ichigo-kun,'' the Hokage greeted warmly, as soon as the young woman closed the door, ''please, have a seat.''

Tsubaki blatantly ignored the old man's words and silently looked at them in visible disbelief and displeasure.

 _Is the old man serious? Does he think I don't know that what's going on here is a clear breach of his own village's laws? Does he believe me to be that naïve?_

''Do you believe me an idiot or is this some kind of tasteless joke?'', she chose to ask instead. Her tone was borderline insolent and hostile but she didn't care a whit. The moment she had seen that the opposite party of this meeting didn't appear to want to follow their own bylaws, she had lost any kind of respect she might have had for them.

The Hokage was suitable taken aback by her biting words and tone. The old meddlers visibly restrained themselves from saying something unpleasant. Their faces, though, showed what they thought of her rude question and conduct.

''I beg your pardon, Tsubaki-san?'', the Sandaime asked in a clear show of uncertainty.

''Do you really believe that I don't know how a _classified_ meeting between a Clan Head and Hokage should be? Frankly, that's beyond insulting. What are those two doing here?'', she demanded at last in a far from impressed tone, forsaking roundabout questions and choosing to be blunt instead.

''We are here to advise Hokage-sama as is our duty, Namikaze-sama,'' the old woman chose to speak up in a haughty tone that didn't please Tsubaki in the least.

''Really?'', the Uzumaki lady drawled in such a manner that was full intended to offend the other person. If they wanted to take her for a fool, then she would reciprocate the sentiment full-heartedly. Two could play the same game, after all.

''Of course,'' the woman sniffed self-importantly, completely ignoring Tsubaki's rudeness. ''I am Utatane Koharu and this is Mitokado Homura. We were Hokage-sama's teammates in our younger days and now we serve Konoha by advising our leader with our village's and its inhabitants' best interests in mind.''

If she thought that that little speech meant something to Tsubaki and would miraculously change her cold attitude, the old woman was utterly wrong. However, now that she had those two names, the young witch was aware of exactly who they were and her regard for both of them had simply fallen further. They were two people she had hated even before she had met them in person, making the list of the people she despised the most grow progressively larger.

When Death had explained in further detail Uchiha Itachi's particular circumstances which had taken him to ultimately commit suicide, the Immortal Entity had gave her the three names of the people who had plotted and ultimately ordered the prodigious boy, by way of ultimatum, to murder his whole clan: Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzo. The latter had been the main instigator but the other two had fully supported Shimura all the way, so in Tsubaki's mind they were as guilty as the one who gave the final order to murder all Uchiha children, woman and men without a hint of hesitation or regret.

Tsubaki inconspicuously squeezed her son's hand securely held within her own. The fact that Ichigo was standing so close to two of Itachi's past intimidators was making her feel on edge fairly quickly and her only wish was to take him far away from them as soon as possible.

''Regardless of who you are,'' Tsubaki said evenly, her Occlumency working full-time to hide her uneasy thoughts concerning her precious son; she glared at them with her green eyes flashing dangerously for good measure, ''I do know that your presence in this particular _classified_ meeting is nothing but unlawful. So, either you are unaware of your own long-standing laws, which I find highly doubtful, or you do know them and simply don't care, which I find even worse and a clear abuse of authority and lack of respect towards all the Clans of Konoha.''

The both of them spluttered at the Uzumaki and Kurosawa Clan Head's sharp and condemning words. The old busybodies had been caught in their infraction and they didn't have a legitimate excuse for their presence in that confidential meeting. It didn't escape Tsubaki's notice that the Hokage seemed perfectly content to remain silent and allow his old teammates to implicate themselves further in the eyes of the Namikaze woman. Perhaps, it hadn't been Sarutobi's idea for Utatane and Mitokado's participation on this meeting. Now, she could understand why he had seemed a bit apprehensive when she had first stepped into the office. He had clearly suspected that Tsubaki wouldn't be pleased by those two's additional presence and would make her opinion known, loud and clear.

''So, please, do us all the favour, both of you, and leave this office so Hokage-sama and I can, finally, start what I came here specifically to do,'' Tsubaki requested bluntly when it was clear that the duo didn't have any intention of vacating their seats even after being caught trespassing. Really, she lost any remains of tolerance she had for fools who thought that they could do as they wished under the misconception that the 'new girl' was naïve to their ways, so they could manipulate her to better their own lives as they saw fit.

The Hokage heavily sighed and finally spoke up, cutting off any attempt of retort from his former teammates.

''Koharu, Homura, leave us,'' the old man ordered authoritatively, without even looking in their direction. ''It's clear to see that we are going nowhere this way. Tsubaki-san is right and we all know it.''

The old pair silently obeyed their leader, clearly grudgingly. Tsubaki followed them with her eyes all the way to the door. She didn't trust them one bit and, as irrational as it was, as long as they were in the same room as her son, she wasn't willing to take her attention off of them.

''And, Koharu, Homura,'' the Sandaime called in a seemingly pleasant tone that somehow managed to be one of ominous warning, ''the next time you ignore my specific orders, by way of finding loopholes or something else, I won't be pleased and act accordingly. Are we clear?''

''Yes, Hokage-sama,'' they practically stuttered before hastily leaving the office and closing the door behind them.

 _Well, it seems that someone has finally developed a backbone. It's about bloody time, I say._

Still, Tsubaki was a bit impressed, though she would never admit it out loud. Anyone who could threaten someone else, while being all pleasant and polite, was someone who knew what they were doing. She could respect that, at least.

''I apologize, Tsubaki-san,'' the Hokage said in a long-suffering tone, after he had rubbed tired hands over his face. He gazed directly at her when she had finally turned in his direction. ''I knew from the beginning that it would be coming to this, but it seems lately that the word of the Hokage lost its importance to his own advisors.''

Tsubaki didn't know what the old man wanted her to reply to this. Honestly, she wasn't surprised in the least. From what she had seen up until now, Sarutobi was too lenient towards his own subordinates, especially the people he had former personal ties with. Really, it was no wonder that such individuals would capitalize in the Hokage's benevolence and do as they wanted. And then, the results would be something like what she had just witnessed.

''Well, I won't say that it's alright, because it's clearly not,'' she chose to say instead of expounding on her honest thoughts on the matter, after she and Ichigo took their seats at the table, ''still, I somewhat figured that it hadn't been your idea to do something so foolish and insulting. It just confirms my previous words about the exceeding freedom your people seem to have about the way they follow their own leader's orders.''

Sarutobi wisely didn't contradict her words neither offered any other comment on the topic. They had just witnessed a very clear example of what she was talking about.

Not wishing to go over the subject's conversations from the previous day, lest she made herself annoyed and frustrated again with the old man's folly and indulgence towards his people, Tsubaki decided to change the topic. Before that, though, she settled her son with a box of crayons and a colouring book in front of him, plus a small box of chocolate milk to hold him over for the moment.

''As we talked about yesterday, I drafted the binding contract that all the Council Members must sign and abide by before our meeting. For the most part, I refuse to change anything, but if you have any suggestion to add, I'll take them in consideration,'' Tsubaki stated all business like, as she took out a several papers from within her trusty bag, before she skimmed through them and proffered the magical contract draft she had done the previous day to the Sandaime.

The Mistress of Death was certain that there were several things that he wouldn't be happy about, however the man wouldn't be able to change her mind, no matter the means he tried with to do so. She was determined in not allowing any kind of loophole or breathing room where the life and future of her nephew was concerned. Therefore, it would be impossible for anyone to fully disclose Naruto's true heritage, regardless the way they chose to do so through – not by writing or speaking, sign or body language, not even by sharing thoughts. The best of it all was that this worked both against the person's willingness to share the information or if the knowledge was attempted to be forced out of them, therefore, no amount of torture or mental intrusions would be successful in that regard.

That was not say that one could not attempt to do so through underhanded ways, however, even before they could share anything of significance, the magic (or the inherent nature chakra as Tsubaki had officially put it) provided in the sealing construct would attack them in severe warning. The magic would be able to read their innermost intentions and act accordingly, punishing them progressively more severely the longer they tried to disclose information until they fell unconscious or died, whichever happened first.

Needless to say, the young Uzumaki Clan Head would be alerted if – or rather, when – any significant transgression was committed and therefore she would be aware of whom she had to be mindful of for future offense.

All that and more was explained in the Secrecy Contract. Perhaps, in no so clear a description, but Tsubaki wasn't concerned in the least. Most of the Council Members were seasoned ninjas and the rest were civilians who were all people with certain age and life experience on their side, persons in charge of their own business or trades. As she saw it, all of them wouldn't have gotten far in their respective lives if they were utter dimwits, unable to read in between the lines and not understand something without being fully spelled out to them.

The rough draft contract had been successfully crafted, thus proving that the clauses were at least clear enough as magic had accepted the wording used, so Tsubaki was fairly certain that the Council Members would be able to comprehend the situation if they chose not to behave like some brainless and blindly prejudiced idiots.

Still, if this course of action resulted in someone's untimely demise, the Mistress of Death was unsympathetic. As she saw it, if that eventually happened, they had no one else to blame but themselves.

Tsubaki wasn't worried either about the Hokage's opinion to the contract (or anyone else's for that matter). She knew he wouldn't like it, but what he could really do? If the old man hadn't already realized, he would soon anyway, what Namikaze Tsubaki's priorities were. She prioritized her family above everything and everyone else, the people she cared about in second and the village and its inhabitants would be always placed third, no matter the situation.

''And here are the proposals I wrote both from the Uzumaki and Kurosawa Clans concerning the contribution towards the village's and Shinobi Force's economy,'' she added as she offered the rest of the papers in her hand to the Hokage, not giving the old man's any time to peruse the contract for the moment.

Sarutobi would have plenty of time to read through the rough draft later. Tsubaki didn't want to spend more time than strictly necessary in that office; she felt like she had enough dealing with paperwork that day to last her a week. She didn't worry either that any of those papers could possibly be read by third parties; she had the forethought of charming all of them so that only them both could be able to do so. She didn't trust that someone could eventually convince the Hokage in showing the documents to them (as unlikely as she thought it would be, but not completely impossible) or that someone else managed to break into the Hokage's office and inspect them illicitly.

Just as the Sandaime reached for the proffered papers, there was suddenly a knock on the door. The old man visibly frowned at this. Most likely, he had warned his assistant that he shouldn't be interrupted during this meeting and was wondering why she was disturbing them, anyway.

Sarutobi shot Tsubaki a quick apologizing look, though she wasn't really bothered with the interruption and told him so. She had sensed two people arrive and approach the assistance moments previously. Whoever they were on the other side of the door, they were clearly frantic and needed to see the Hokage with urgency, if their erratic and quick movements were any indication, making her curious about what was going on.

''Come in.''

The next moment the Hokage's assistant opened the door and quickly bowed towards her leader in a show of apology.

''Forgive me, Hokage-sama, for interrupting your meeting,'' she said differentially as soon as she straightened herself. ''However, Hagane-san and Kamizuki-san insisted that the matter was of the greatest urgency and could not wait.''

''Please, let them in, Chyoko-san.''

* * *

ROUGH TIMELINE

Mia/Tsubaki arrived at the Elemental Nations on the 15th November and found Itachi. She and Ichigo made their way to the Capital and stayed there for about a month.

Around the middle of December, Tsubaki and Ichigo were escorted by Kakashi, Gai and Hayate to Konoha.

Tsubaki and the rest arrived at the shinobi village on a Friday early evening. They met the Hokage for the first time and later on Tsubaki caught a Root spy on the way to their new home.

On Saturday early morning Hana, Kotetsu and Izumo went on their C-ranked mission.

On that same morning the Namikaze family settled in their house, while Kakashi reported to the Sandaime. In the afternoon they went shopping and met Naruto in the early evening.

Sunday morning Tsubaki went to see the Hokage about Naruto's treatment. The kids stayed at home with Kakashi. Gai joined them sometime later. They went to eat dinner at Ichiraku's before taking Naruto's home. They found the apartment broke into and everyone returned to the Namikaze's house. Tsubaki and Kakashi had a friendly spar after the kids were put to bed.

In the evening of the same day, Hana and her team finished their mission and started to make their way back to Konoha (their mission lasted less than a day and half).

In the middle of that night, a strange ninja attempted to break into Tsubaki's house but the wards attacked him until he was unconscious. Kakashi delivered the man to the T & I department.

In the early hours of Monday morning Hana and her team were attacked by an unknown ninja and she was poisoned. Around two hours later, they were at the hospital. Hours of fruitless attempts to save Hana later, Kotetsu had the idea of asking Tsubaki for help.

Monday morning, Naruto went to the Academy. Tsubaki, Ichigo and Kakashi went to the Real Estate agency before meeting with the Hokage at ten.

All values are inaccurate:

1 Gold bar – 12.5kg x 30.000 £ = 375.000 £ x5 = 1.875.000 £

1 £ around 150 yen so 1.875.000 £ around 273.550.000 yen

1 yen around 5 ryou so ryou

5 £ around 1 galleon so 1.875.000 £ around 9.375.000 galleons


End file.
